My Vampire Romance
by Deadronika
Summary: Bella Swan is not your average human - she's a spy. So how will she cope in Forks meeting the Cullens? Will she ever find out what they and her brother Emmett are hiding? How will they cope when a new threat comes to town? Rated M for violence & swearing
1. Moving

'Bella, get down here!' The coarse, throaty voice of my step-dad floated up the stairs and seemed to penetrate the door which I had slammed shut after my fit. When would he learn? I was not a girl to be reasoned with, and I was probably the only girl proud to say that I was incredibly stubborn. Time, after time, after time, he had tried to make me do things his way, but to no avail.

My name is Bella Swan; about a year ago, my mother was killed in a freak lorry accident, leaving me to grow up with my loser step-dad Brian, and his new lady Caroline. I knew that the accident couldn't have been prevented, but I still felt a little resentment towards my mother, who had left no plan for me and instead of being with an adoptive family who adored me, I was stuck with a manger of a log – hauler firm, and an ex-playboy bunny. Yes, ex-playboy bunny, dear God.

'Bella I'm warning you, if I have to come up there, you're going to know about it!' Know about what? I already knew much, much more than that miserable man, so what on Earth could he tell me. I had once said this to his face, and watched in amusement as his faced turned blackberry-purple. It was pretty hilarious. Chuckling at the memory, I placed my shiny, sliver gun back down on the bed, and headed towards the door.

Going back to the accident, when the lorry came, I jumped out the way so fast that it was impossible for a reflex to have caused it. Anyway, some men had been watching, and took me away to a special room that was controlled by the military. Long story short, they thought I was a valuable asset to them, and I'm now working for the government as a spy; pretty cool huh? I bet Caroline and Brian would be a lot nicer to me if they knew that I could blast them to smithereens and not get into trouble for it. Or that I had billions of dollars waiting for when I hit 18. My heart skipped a beat as I thought "only two more years to go".

I reached the top if the stairs and sighed. If I was such an important military figurine, how I the hell did I end up being pushed around by my snobby step-parents? I don't know why I bothered asking myself anymore, I had asked the questions countless times as I lay on my bed, crying myself to sleep. Pretty miserable for someone who could hack into a defense grid in her sleep.

As I descended down the stairs, I couldn't help but glare at the walls. Sounds mad I know, but ever since Caroline had moved in, the whole house had gone under a bunny makeover. Everything was pink, lilac or cream, and lots of the furniture and accessories were fluffy. Before she had moved in, my mom and I had lived here, and it was pretty much the coolest place to live on the planet. There were abstract prints everywhere, and women's rights posters hanging all over the deep blue walls. Ever since _she _had taken over, the place had turned into some sort of bunny haven. I had forbidden her to touch my room, and, so far, she had kept her word never to set foot in there. I shuddered to think what would happen if she found half the stuff in there.

'It's about time; we thought you'd fallen out of the window or something!' Caroline laughed, high and fake-like. I grimaced back, she had to be the most annoying person on the planet, and if she wasn't, I would rather I did fall out of the window than meet them.

They stood leaning against the couch; Brian was a tall guy, around 6 foot; he wore his usual suit that he had on at the office – black with grey pinstripes; he had short, curly brown hair which stuck to his head in an unattractive way; he had cold, slate-gray eyes which bore into my face as I entered the room. He was a loud man, often breaking things then yelling about it. I knew he didn't love Caroline as much as he should, but that's not my argument.

Caroline was wearing a long pink dressing gown with lacy tassels at the end. No doubt merchandise form her playboy-bunny days; she was around 5"6, but wore heeled slippers that made her look even taller; she had long, curly blonde hair, which she washed and treated every day; her eyes were a sparkling shade of blue, which were very entrancing. She was pretty much an air-head, she couldn't be taught, and the only math she knew was store credit.

Both of them were giving me strange looks, like they thought I was going to explode for the second time that evening. But who could blame me, I mean, the news hadn't exactly been the best I'd ever heard, and I'd heard a lot of bad news.

'Are you feeling better now sweetheart? I expect that a little lay down did you the world of good. Anyway, aren't you excited?! I mean, a whole new start, not to mention who's going to be there!' she gushed in her ridiculously high, girly voice. Wait, what did she mean by "who's going to be there"?

'What are you talking about?' I asked, puzzled. Come to think of it, I probably sounded like Caroline had done when she was in that teaching seminar last month. I had almost fallen off my chair laughing when it happened; she had tried to train as a teacher, but had no idea what the word 'consistency' meant. It was so hilarious; she had been kicked off the course on the first day.

'When you wipe that smirk off your face I might tell you what she meant' Brain said sharply, wrapping his arm tenderly around the bunny. I instantly wiped the smile away with the back of my hand – this didn't amuse him in the slightest.

'Hilarious Bella, anyway, do you want to know or not?' okay, he was seriously pissed off now. Good.

'Fire away Brian'

He raised his eyebrows at the use of his first name – which he always did – but nevertheless carried on.

'Well, before you stomped off to your room in a huff, I was trying to tell you that your brother and father live in the town we're moving to.' They both braced themselves, wary of my reaction; and they were right to.

I felt my jaw drop and my knees start to shake. I ran to my room before they had a chance to say anymore. Earlier on in the day, they had sprung it on me that we were moving away to some place up north with the step-losers new job. I could barely believe my ears, I mean, leaving behind my beautiful New York City apartment for some place up north? It wasn't right, not at all.

The blood pounded in my ears as I flung myself down on my gothic-style four poster bed. I was still reeling from what they had just divulged; but imagine keeping it from me! They must have known about this for weeks, yet they still hadn't said anything to me.

My dad Charlie, and my older brother Emmett, lived in the tiny town of Forks, which was in Washington, yet still very close to the Canada border. I hadn't seen my dad or brother since I was 5, and I'm 16 now! I loved Emmett more than anyone in the world, and it hurt us both to be apart. But, when mom and dad got divorced, instead of making us constantly move between states for visits, they had agreed that my mom would take me away with her, whilst Emmett stayed up north with my dad.  
All these years, I had been afraid of meeting him, after his disappearance from my life for almost 11 years. The scary thing was that, a couple of months ago, I could've sworn I saw Emmett when I was out on a mission in Seattle. What frightened me even more was the fact that he seemed to recognize me. This perhaps sounds stupid, but I'm terrified of meeting them; mainly because I'm scared they're different, or if they don't like me anymore.

I had been dreading this move all day, as I had not yet told my boss what was going to happen; and there was no doubt that she would be murderously angry. But that's it isn't it? If I don't want to move, ill just call Weaver so she could make some arrangements; that is such a brilliant plan I could just scream.

I ran over to the mahogany desk in the corner and picked up my silver LG Viewty, which I had bought not 2 weeks ago. Hands shaking, I dialed the number marked under Cathy, and waited for her to answer; my luck held, and she picked up on the first ring.

'Hello?' I used to laugh at her accent, as she was a proud Scottish woman. But at that moment, her voice was very welcoming to me.

'Cathy, I need your help'

'What have you done now?' her voice had become suspicious, as though she was wondering what trouble I was going to cause her this time. Lucky me, getting the boss who suspects you've blown something up when you call for help. For all she knew, all I wanted was tea and sympathy.

'Nothing, I just need you to help me with something'

'What do you need?'

'I need you to get me out of moving away with my loser step-parents!' To my surprise, she laughed loudly in my ear; so loud that I had to hold it away in fear of my eardrum being burst open.

'Is that all?'

'I can't move away, I mean, I won't be to come to work if I'm living in Washington will I?'

I was sat on my bed ages; trying in vain to make her help me get out of moving. When I eventually stabbed the end call button a little harder than necessary, and turned over on my bed, the clock read 3:15am. I had been arguing with her for near enough 4 hours!

Rolling over again, I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them swiftly off, replacing them with a pair of black cotton shorts. I ripped the bobble out of my hair and lay back on the bed, staring morosely up at the stars on my ceiling. Tonight was the last night in my room, tomorrow I would be staring at a different ceiling, possibly miserable, and definitely unhappy.

*

Trees, dirt, rocks, and yet more trees. That's all that kept flashing past my tinted windows, as I followed Brian's old Chevy along the road which presumably led to Forks. After much arguing – mainly by me – I had been permitted to drive my black Lamborghini to my new home. My stupid stepfather reckoned I wouldn't need it, and had been trying to persuade me to sell it back in New York. But I had refused, knowing that if I let him have his way, he would think it would be that way all the time.

A large sign passed my window, and I caught a glimpse of "welcome to Forks, Washington", which was written on a wooden board and was very rain-soaked. I groaned loudly as I saw that the whole town seemed to be covered in rain-water, and that a lot of the small shops had either pictures of fish on them, or had names that I had never heard of before. In short, this place was going to kill me.

As I looked over the small shops and townsfolk in contempt, I couldn't help but wonder why my dad would ever choose to live in such a place, I mean, there was nothing here! Even if my dad somehow liked this place, I couldn't see burly Emmett wanting to live in a town like this.

As I drove down the main street – about as big as a New York alleyway – I passed a large, dirty red brick building, which had a large banner outside saying "go Spartans!" The banner indicated it was a school, but where were the 10 feet high walls? Or the metal detectors and security guards at the entrance? It was like I had fallen straight into my own personal hell – no shops, crappy school, and I would have an hours drive to get to Seattle, which was where my company was now located.

Brian's old car turned sharply left into a small street, filled with fairly large houses and neat front lawns; the sign on the corner said that it was called "Lake View Terrace".

We pulled into the biggest house at the very end which was nothing like I had expected. It had clean, reddish-brown bricks and a well kept and tidy front lawn; the frame around the front door was a deep shade of hazel, and the matching front door had a brass knocker in the middle. A large, knurled and old apple tree grew in the front garden, directly underneath a large bay window on the second floor. It was like something form the Swiss Family Robinson, and, though it was pretty, it had yet to impress me.

I climbed out of the car awkwardly; the drive had taken something like 5 hours, and headed to the trunk of my car, which Brian was already starting to open.

'Well, what do you think? Best house in town that.' he asked excitedly, gripping my waist and pulling me into a hug whilst he admired the house.

'It's... definitely not what I expected.' I couldn't help but grin back. The house was pretty nice for someplace cold and wet, and if this was the best in town, I wouldn't complain. He laughed and pulled my suitcase out of the trunk, passing it to me after making sure I was able to carry it. As I headed up the 3 steps that lead to the front door, I passed Caroline leaning against the handrail and having a fag. When she saw me, she lit another and popped it into my mouth.

'Cheers' I mumbled, my mouth clamped around the cigarette. She nodded once, and I carried on into the house, placing my bag near the stairs, as I didn't know which room was mine.

The hallway was very grand; two vases filed with red roses sat on wooden stands at both sides, and a large, back and white chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a large pool of light in the middle of the floor. The floor was made of a very expensive wood, and a blood-red carpet ran across the middle. It reminded me of something from the Adams family, except mine was much less close, and a lot more dysfunctional.

'Your bedroom is the last door on the left. But don't worry, we had a personal designer fit it, so we don't know what it looks like at all. And, before you complain, I told her you like red, black and lots of gothic accessories.' Caroline said quickly, obviously wanting me to keep out if the way whilst they christened their new bed.

I gave them a sickened smile – very hard to do with a fag in your mouth – and headed up the marble staircase (which also had a red rug) to my new bedroom. The upstairs corridor matched the one downstairs, except that this hallway had a lot more doors leading off of it.

I paused outside the last door, and then headed inside dreading what I would find. But, to my surprise, the bedroom was amazing, utterly perfect for me. Everything was black or blood-red, and the bed that dominated the eastern wall was identical to the one back in New York. I gazed around in wonder, fingering the delicate gothic artifacts that were placed here and there, and looking in the large, ornate mirror which hung over the old-fashioned fireplace on the western wall. I placed my laptop bag and my rucksack on the mahogany table, whilst dumping my large black suitcase on the floor next to my bed.

Exhausted, I flopped down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling; to my delight, Cedric Diggory's face beamed down at me from my old poster that was selotaped to my wall back in New York. I sat up and looked around the room, recognizing lots and lots of my old things from my old bedroom. My Linkin Park and Paramore posters, my photographs, my landscapes, and, as I moved around, I realized that this was in fact my actual bed, and not a replacement.

I lay back in content, realizing that I hadn't given Caroline and Brian enough credit. They had braved my temper by taking things from my old room and placing them here – I had been too distraught to notice. But, a sinking feeling in my stomach erased all of the happiness I had felt a few minutes ago. Tomorrow would be my first day at a new school, and possibly the reuniting of me and my older brother. I was suddenly extremely nervous, as all the old feelings of fear crept back, and threatened to crush me.

Part of me wanted to go over to his house now, and make sure we were reacquainted before tomorrow when we would be forced into a small building together; but the other half, the part with the scared little girl, wanted to curl up into a ball on the bed and worry over what would happen tomorrow. When it came to family, I was a complete coward, so I voted for the latter. I knew I would regret it in the morning, but honestly who cares?

Sleepy after my debate, I pulled put my headphones and stuck them in my ears, just as I heard Caroline and Brian giggling as they walked up into their bedroom. They acted as though I was 6, I mean, I knew what they were going to do I there, but I would shoot myself before I had to listen to that. Hastily, I put on a song at full blast, and tried to concentrate on the lyrics as much as possible.

_It starts with, _

_One thing, I don't know why_

_It doesn't even matter how hard you try_

_Keep that in mind as I designed this rhyme _

_To explain in due time_

But what if I blow it? I mean Emmett might not even want to know me, he might just think I'm a stupid kid that he doesn't want to be affiliated with. Drat, I knew I should've gone over when I could.

_All I know_

_Time is a valuable thing_

_Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings_

_Watch it count down to the end of the day_

_The clock ticks life away_

Oh God, even with the volume turned right up, I can still hear Brian and Caroline in the next room! Why is this happening to me seriously? Frustrated, and somewhat disgusted, I concentrated on the lyrics even harder.

_It's so unreal_

_Didn't look out below_

_Watch the time go right out the window_

_Trying to hold on, but didn't even know_

_Or wasted it all just to watch you go_

I've just had another thought; I don't even know the passwords to get into the new office in Seattle. What if they think I'm a spy from another service and shoot me? Oh my God, this move is seriously starting to affect my mental health.

_I kept everything inside_

_And even though I tried it all fell apart_

_What it meant to me will eventually be_

_A memory of a time when _

_I tried so hard and got so far_

_But in the end it doesn't even matter_

_I had to fall to lose it all_

_But in the end it doesn't even matter _

Sometime during my efforts of blocking out the noises from the next bedroom, I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, still panicking about what the next day would hold.


	2. First Sight

I woke up dazed and disorientated, struggling to remember where I was, and why the window was in the wrong place. As I sat up, everything came flooding back to me, including all the fears I had yesterday about the day ahead. I groaned and sat up, stretching hugely. I shuddered violently as I realized that it was freezing, as I had been sleeping in my skirt and t-shirt with no covers on. Plus the fact that it looked about 10 degrees outside.

Sleepily, I dragged myself off the bed and headed to the wardrobe, which made me jump as I caught sight of myself in the front of it, which was a floor to ceiling mirror. The girl in my reflection started back at me, looking very confused and unkempt. Her hair was long, limp and messy as though she had been tossing and turning half the night; and her skin was olive, yet pale from the bitter cold that surrounded her.

I shook my head to dispel the illusion, and then headed off to my en-suite bathroom to get a shower before school started. I closed my eyes and breathed in the familiar peach smell of my shampoo; it was relaxing, and made me feel like I was still at home, still with the same life that had kept me on my toes for the past 16 years. It took all my willpower to get me from the warm confinement of the shower and out into the freezing cold bathroom. I never knew that it could be so cold here. It's true that New York had bitterly cold winters, but this was the middle of March for crying out loud.

I quickly wrapped my towel around me, and then headed into my bedroom to get dressed. I opened the wardrobe doors with a little difficulty, and spent 10 minutes trying to decide what to wear. In the end I chose my black and red Paramore t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and my black converses. Glancing at the clock, I saw that I had 20 minutes to have breakfast, get my hair and make-up done, get to school and then try and find my way around.

Panicking, I ran to the wardrobe and brushed my hair so that it was incredibly straight, and applied heavy make-up to my eyes. I grabbed my bag from the table, and my hoodie that was draped over the back of the chair, and ran downstairs.

'Where's the fire?' Caroline made a tasteless joke as I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a few pop-tarts from the toaster, whilst Brian chortled in the corner. I paid scarce attention, but when I was in the doorway, I shouted back.

'Caroline, what does consistency mean?' I ran out of the door laughing my head off. Sure, I was going to get hell for that later, but at that moment, it seemed like the most appropriate thing to do.

Now that I was outside, it began to dawn on me again what I was about to do. I fumbled around in my hoodie top for my car keys, and, hands shaking, I climbed inside, throwing my bag into the passenger seat as I did so. I gunned the engine and pressed hard on the accelerator, breathing out as I heard the familiar purr of my engine.

Driving to school wasn't hard, as the school was the second biggest building in the town – after the hospital – it loomed ominously over my car, casting more shadow into the already dark car. I groaned and gulped as everyone stared as I pulled into the student lot. _They're staring at the car, not you. _But I couldn't reassure myself. It was maddening, not being afraid of a madman with a gun, but being scared stiff of a school with a student body of 500!

I put my iPod in my ears as I stepped put of the car, nervously looking around at the faces which were now fixated on my face. I turned away from them to lock up, but felt that same nervous feeling as I looked around to see where the main entrance was. I had barely taken 2 steps when a deep voice made me gasp and spin around.

'Bella?' the voice asked uncertainly, but loud enough to get over the volume of My Chemical Romance.

As I turned around, I saw a large boy - or was it a man? – looking straight at me. His eyes were deep amber, and were full of uncertainty and anxiousness; his hair was a familiar black, and curled over itself, with one just to the side of his forehead. He was seriously toned and muscled-up, I wondered if he was a boxer or weightlifter or something. He was wearing a black hoodie, which had a warrior logo on the right-hand side, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. Emmett Swan.

'Emmett?' I breathed just as uncertainly, I didn't want him to think I had been waiting for this moment for my life, or whatever crap they say on the movies. However, I couldn't get over his eyes; they were like nothing I had ever seen before. Plus the fact that my mom had always been proud of her "Green-eyed boy".

'Little sis!' he laughed, and I squealed as he pulled me into a vice-tight hug and spun me around in a circle, which lifted me several feet off the ground. It made me forget what I had just been fretting about.

'How are you, I mean how've you been?' he asked excitedly, taking my hand as he walked me up to the school. It was like we had never been apart.

'Great, what about you, I see Charlie hasn't poisoned you yet.' I laughed, my mom had told me plenty of stories about Charlie, one of them being how totally useless he was in the kitchen.

'Yeah, yeah I'm fine.' He bit his lip in worry 'you're sure you're alright?' what a strange question.

'I'm definitely sure, why?'

'It's just that... well...'

'Go on...'

'Well, we haven't heard from you after mom died, and I was just wondering how you were getting on with her fella. If you're still living with him that is' he rushed, looking down to see how I would react.

'Yeah, I'm still with him, but he's got a new lady now, so he doesn't need me anymore' it was my turn to bite my lip and look down; Caroline had taken over Brian's life so much, that I was expecting him to kick me out any day now.

'Don't worry about a thing, if it gets too much, you can always move in with me and dad. You know, he sure would love that.'

'Hmmm.'

I didn't answer properly, I was sure that Emmett was just saying that to make me feel better. I mean, why Charlie would suddenly want me to live with him, when I had been parentless for almost a year now, was beyond me. I barely noticed that we were walking, and only looked up when I felt a door close behind me.

The main hallway of the school was bustling; teenagers of all colors, religions, ages and sizes were walking around. Two girls were sat in the corner, reading a manuscript and singing quietly to themselves; a couple were leaning against a locker making out, and only stopped when Emmett nudged them and said 'cut it out children'.

'Shut it Emmett, or I'll get Jazz and Ed to ambush you again.' A dark-haired, pixie-like girl laughed, glancing up at me in curiosity.

'Yeah Emmett, besides, this aint half as bad as what you and Rose get up to.' The blonde boy next to her glanced at me and winked. 'You're Bella right?' Before I had a chance to answer, Emmett cut in.

'I'll introduce you all later; Bella only has like 2 minutes to get to her first class.'

'Alright, see you later Em, Bella' the pixie girl smiled at me before Emmett whisked me away down the corridor and towards a classroom were about 20 students were already sat down.

'This is your first class, English. I got your timetable last week' he looked away, embarrassed, and handed me a small piece of folded paper which had little square boxes on it, presumably containing my new timetable.

'Thanks Emmett, I appreciate it' I got on my tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek. He grinned and ushered me in; a small wave goodbye, and then he was gone. I looked around the dimly lit classroom, and groaned internally as I saw that everyone was staring at me again. The walls were a dull cream, yet filled with monologues from Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth and other plays. It was quite quirky, as each corner of the room had its own theme, such as plays, descriptive writing, novels, and vocabulary.

I sidled over to the only seat left, which was at the back. The chair next to it was already occupied by a dark-skinned boy, who grinned at me as I took my seat. The name on the front of his book told me he was called Jacob.

'Hey, you're Bella right?' he asked, still grinning as I took my seat.

'Yeah, you're Jacob?' he looked startled, and I grinned, pointing at the cover on his worn-out book.

'Right. So, you know Emmett Swan?' he looked at me in curiosity, probably wondering if I was a relative, or a new girlfriend. I could tell he had been burning to ask this as soon as he saw Emmett drop me off.

'Oh yeah, he's my big brother' I watched in amusement as his face went from shock, to anger and then back to calm.

'Do you know him?'

'Not personally, but not many people like him, or his friends.'

'Why?' I asked in shock, I couldn't imagine anyone more likeable than Emmett. How on Earth could people find themselves not liking someone as gentle as him?

'Well, he and his friends are like a gang or something, and the lot of them turn their noses up at everyone else, like they're superior.'

I was about to argue that maybe if they got to know him, then they would realize what a decent person he was, but the teacher began the lesson. I couldn't believe that anyone's voice could be so boring, yet, this man managed. He was really short, littler than me perhaps; he had grey hair which looked as though it used to be a dark brown, possibly black; he wore clothes that were from the 1950's or something.

A whole half hour passed with the teacher – Mr. Phelps – droning on about verbs and adverbs; I had taken to laying my head down on my bag, and counting the stitches than ran up the side.

_Down to you_

_You're pushing and pulling me down to you_

_But I don't know what I _

The whole class turned to look at me as my phone went off at full blast. I laughed quietly as I went to stop it; Mr. Phelps hadn't noticed a thing, and was still going on about something! Instead of ending the call, I answered it, whilst everyone else laughed with me.

'Hello?' if it was Caroline I was going to ring her neck. Actually, I hope it is Caroline.

'Bella, where are you? You're needed at work!' It was Weaver, and obviously, she had no idea that 16-year olds were normally in school at 9:30 on a Monday morning.

'I'm at school, where the hell did you think I was?!'

'Well, sneak out. I need you to get over here and get your new mission!' she screeched so loud that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

'Alright, alright, I'll be there in an hour!'

'Good' she hung up, leaving me dumbfounded and staring out into space. I looked around the classroom, and then at the teacher, who was still droning on, but he was no reading from a very old, very worn-out leather bound book.

'Hey Jake, do you think he'll notice if I sneak out of here?'

'No, we always do it' he grinned at me, exposing his gleaming white teeth; his grin was infectious, I just had to grin back.

'Alright, maybe I'll see you later.'

'I hope so'

He winked at me one last time before I gathered up my bag and snuck out of the door, whilst one student actually fell asleep on his desk. It was just too easy, as Mr. Phelps didn't even look up, even though the door made a loud creak when it opened and a large bang when it shut.

As I stood in the hallway, I thought about what Jacob said. "I hope so" after I told him I would see him later. What did that mean, did he have the hot's for me? True, he was very cute, but Weaver had warned me – don't get too close to lots of people. In other words, the more loved ones you have, the more likely the fact that someone is going to hold them against you – possibly killing them in the process.

I shook my head to clear away the grim thoughts, and then half-ran back to my car, constantly looking over my shoulder to see if anyone had noticed my absence and was now coming after me. Not very likely. When I was in, I gunned the engine again and pulled out of the lot, narrowly missing a shiny silver Volvo in my haste to get out of this hell-hole.

The streets were mainly empty; I guessed that everyone was at work, or else didn't want to be out in the cold wind that had picked up whilst I was in the classroom. It was eerie, as there was never an empty street in New York, and actually seeing one seemed like something from "The Day After Tomorrow".

Even though I didn't know my way, I got to Seattle pretty quickly, under an hour in fact. The sky was darker here, and it looked as though it was about to start pouring buckets, as well as thunder and lightening. However I felt more comfortable here, as the towering skyscrapers, bustling sidewalks and congested roads made me feel as though I was back home. I smiled as I saw a large building with the name "Zeiracorp" along the side, written in huge black lettering – Weaver never did things by halves.

I pulled into the lot, as a spotty security guard looked at my face, and somehow recognized it. Weaver must have described me to him, or given him my index number or something. He waved me on bored-like, and I felt pity for him; hardly anyone came into this car park during the day. I grinned as I saw a space with my name on it. I was glad, it was right next to the entrance, and was written in my favourite copperplate writing. I had to hand it to her; the woman knows what I like.

Still grinning, I stepped out oft the car and headed up to the pristine glass doors, which had large Z's on each side and opened when I pressed my fingertips on it.

The main entrance was a grand business façade; long, golden chandeliers hung from the high, sky-blue ceiling; the carpet was a deep red, with black Z's dotted all over it; a large, cherry-wood desk was placed in the middle of the room, where a young woman was stood. Her hair was long and blonde, but was tied into an elegant knot at the back of her head; her eyes were a unnatural shade of blue, so bright and sparkling that they didn't look human; she was wearing a black suit top with pinstripes, and a matching skirt. On her feet, just visible in the gap below the desk, was a pair of navy blue heels, which had a thin layer of brown at the bottom, and showed off her red-painted toenails.

'Good morning and welcome to Zeiracorp, how may I assist you?' the woman looked at me very carefully, like I was a bomb waiting to go off. But then again, looking down, I do look like some kind of teenage rebel. Good.

'Hey, uhmm, I work here, or didn't you know that? Oh sorry, guess you don't know my name, uhmm I'm Bella. Swan, Bella Swan.' I rushed, stumbling over my words, as I concentrated on what she was doing. Sure enough, she reached under the desk. I knew exactly what she was going for, the red button which called security.

'Oh my,' she said, her eyes popping as she obviously remembered my name. 'I do apologize, can't be too careful can we?' she laughed nervously. 'My name is Kelly, Ms. Weaver told me to send you straight to her office as soon as you got here. Sorry, was there anything you wanted, a drink perhaps?' she looked extremely nervous, like she had made a grave mistake which would get her head chopped off or something.

I smiled in reassurance; I had been just like her before. Cept I was never an assistant.

'Yeah, bottle of Coke or something, I'm really thirsty.' She looked horrified, like this was somehow her fault. I was beginning to get amused; I could tell I was going to enjoy having her around...

'Well, I will show you to your office'

She smiled and led me forward; I didn't have the heart to tell her that she had made a mistake, and that I never had an office, and I never would.

We walked up to a glass elevator, which opened as soon as we stepped in front of it. The whole inside matched the hallway I had just come from, right down to the golden chandelier which looked like it was suspended in mid-air. Kelly leaned over and placed a key into where the buttons should've been. Instantly, a large black panel appeared which was covered in tiny buttons as big as my little finger. She pressed the top one and the elevator jerked upwards, which made me feel as though I had left my stomach back in the lobby.

'Here we are' she said pleasantly, as the elevator came to a smooth but sudden stop. She led me into another hallway, which was decorated in gold and silver. By the colours, I knew exactly who worked in one of the two offices that were located up here. Catherine Weaver. The first door was black with red stars painted here and there; I guessed it was a playroom for Savannah, Weavers 7 year old daughter. Across and a little down the hallway from it, there was another door; this one was a rich gold, with large pools of silver swirls decorated lavishly on the front. A nameplate read "Catherine Weaver, CEO". Kelly ushered me inside, and I had half a mind to turn around and punch her lights out. Her hand was on the small of my back, and her long red fingernails often scratched my skin.

'Ms. Weaver, Miss Swan is here.' she called out importantly, after she had knocked on the door 3 times and gently prised it open.

'Good, good come in Bella.' Weaver's familiar Scottish voice broke through, making me feel as though nothing had changed, even though my subconscious was reliving my morning with grim horror.

'I'll be right up with your drink' Kelly said quickly, before turning on her heel and marching back down the corridor. I stood in the entrance awkwardly for a moment – Weaver told me to always wait before everyone had left before I spoke to her.

When I was sure Kelly had gone I began

'Weaver'

'Bella'

Catherine Weaver was a unique and somewhat strange woman, yet, at the same time, she was utterly brilliant. She sat at a similar desk to Kelly's, but hers was nowhere near as neat. There were papers strewn about the desk, surrounding a laptop which had been closed in front of her; wires from the telephone and internet led off from it, making her look as though she was trapped. Her hair was the colour of flames, and was left to hang down her back, twisting this was and that in natural ringlets, which contrasted with the dark grey coming from the window perfectly. Her eyes were a slate gray, usually hard and cold, yet they sparkled, giving a feeling of hope and trust – to those who didn't know her at least; she was wearing the same suit as Kelly, except that hers was a brilliant shade of white; on her feet were a pair of white stiletto heels, which made her pale skin look even more so.

'So what did you want me for Cathy?'

I took a seat at the front of her desk, and relaxed as she passed me a bottle of Coke.

'Thanks, anyway, do I have a mission or something?'

'Yes, I want you to check out this computer lab that has just been built in the town centre.' She handed me a manilla file which held several photos, pin numbers, and lot of other important and vital information that I would need. 'We're very concerned about what kind of work they're doing; they may not be entirely on the level.'

I nodded somberly and went through the file. One stood out from the rest - Jason Clements, 35, white Caucasian male, wanted for assault and robbery. I frowned at that, it didn't fit in at all with the business front that this high-tech computer company had, which seemed nothing but on the level.

'I don't understand, why is this guy in with the company file?' for a second I thought she had made a mistake, but then I came to my senses – Weaver never made mistakes.

'Because, he's the new security guard, which is why I want to check this place out; if he's been hired to keep the place safe, you can see why it may look suspicious to us.'

I nodded in agreement, still staring at the mug-shot. It shouldn't be too hard, climb in a window somewhere, avoid or turn off security, have a quick look around and before I know it I'll be back in bed and ready for the next day of school.

Oh crud. Emmett will be wondering where I got to. He always was very protective of me; I'll bet he panicked when I didn't come out of my English class; plus, an even bigger panic when he found out my car wasn't there.

'Bella?'

'Sorry, sorry, I'm just thinking about Emmett; I mean, I left without any explanation.'

I bit my lip in worry, what did Emmett think had happened to me? He had a habit of over-reacting, I remember that much.

'You can explain later, you really need to focus on what you're about to do. You do want to go home alive, and not in a box don't you?'

'Of course, but I can't help it though.'

'I know, I know, but there's nothing I can do'

'Moooommmmyyyy!'

The doors burst open, and little Savannah Weaver ran in, flinging herself onto Cathy's lap before turning to face me. She had long, flame red hair just like her mother; her eyes were a vivid green, so clear that you could get lost in them; she wore an embroidered white dress, which was sparkling clean, that surprised me very much, as she was always messing around and getting filthy.

'Bella!'

'Hey Savannah'

I picked her up and swung her over my shoulder, whilst she screamed in delight. Nevertheless, Cathy was not best pleased.

'Bella can we please try to concentrate? There's something I want to show you before you have to go.'

'Bella is leaving?!' Savannah shrieked, making me put her down on the floor.

'A mission dear, a mission.'

Savannah fell silent, I knew that she had been told to keep her mouth shut whenever she heard the word mission; but, I suppose you can't have a 7 year old telling people about the missions her mother and godmother do.

'Come Bella, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised' she had a huge grin plastered all over her face. At that point, I didn't know whether to feel excited or terrified; she was not the sort of woman to be dishing out pleasant surprises, or even compliments for that matter. Yet at that moment, I saw that she had something in store for me that I would thoroughly appreciate, as I hadn't seen her eyes sparkle that way since she brought Savannah home for the first time.

She led me back out of the golden door and then along the elaborate hallway, coming to a sudden stop outside the other black office, which I had assumed was Savannahs playroom.

'Well, have a look and tell me what you think'

She was practically bouncing with anticipation as she pushed open the door and let me look inside properly. All I could do was gasp. The room was similar to Weavers, yet completely different. The walls were painted black with blood-red and white lines placed randomly everywhere; the carpet was red too, but it had large black stars covering it; the walls were covered in small gothic artifacts like the ones back in my room. Also there were photographs and articles from my previous successful missions, obviously trying to show that everyone was proud of my accomplishment; the large, mahogany desk on the centre had a large black laptop, and had a small tray that was full to the brim of papers; in the corner there was another door, matching the one I had just came through; I was too astounded to ask where it led.

'What do you think?'

'Oh. My. God.'

'Well I thought you deserved a reward, and so I ordered for you to have your own office, and a little promotion...'

'Promotion?!'

I stared at her in shock – had I somehow misheard her? She looked down at me in great amusement, clearly enjoying my moment of uncertainty and dumbfoundment. But surely I wouldn't have my own office, let alone a promotion; this was too good to be true. Maybe if I pinch myself I'll wake up back in New York...

'Ouch!'

'What on Earth did you do that for?' Savannah and Weaver laughing at the same time was not a good idea, especially since they both had that same loud, piercing laugh that made anyone within 10 feet of them go temporarily deaf.

'Seeing if this is true – are you actually giving me a promotion?!'

'Duh. You are now my partner, I took half your wages so now you half-own Zeiracorp!'

I stood there shock-still. I half-owned one of the most famous businesses in the world; maybe I hadn't pinched myself hard enough. Ha! Wait until Emmett hears about this!

'Anyway, I think you should be on your way.' She gestured to the door behind me, whilst holding out a pair of motorbike keys in her outstretched hands.

'Yeah okay so it's just a little down the road right?'

'Yes, even you can't miss it! Remember, Clements is extremely violent – don't look at me like that! – And he will kill you if he gets the chance. Oh, and the security if very good, so you'll have to watch out; never let your guard down, I'm warning you.'

She was looking at me full of concern, like an over-protective mother; but in truth, Catherine Weaver was the best friend I ever had, and possibly the best friend I ever would have. As she looked at me, I knew that she honestly believed that this mission was dangerous. I felt like telling her I'd been on much worse, but I liked my face the way it was.

'Sure, right okay. Guess I better get going then.'

I turned around, grabbed the keys and headed off towards the elevator, still in a daze from my new promotion and title. I barely thought of my new mission, even as the tires flew beneath me, and I got ever closer.

*

I hate crawling through windows, I always get something stuck. This time, it happened to be the bag of mysterious items I had stolen from one of the managers many desks.

It had been almost too easy to get inside and get to one of the offices. I had no idea what Weaver was fretting about; I mean I had hardly come across any form of security! Well except one close shave when I had to hide behind a conveniently located pillar, and, thankfully, the guard walked past without noticing I was there.

I managed to pull the bag out of the way but, to my horror, one of the delicate glass bottles inside it slipped and plummeted to the ground; it landed on the wooden floor with an echoing crash.

'Shit'

I heard footsteps running heavily towards where I was perched on the window, and from what I had seen they were heavily armed. I mean I'm fast, but I'm not that fast! The guards were getting closer, I could hear it. There was no other option - I was going to have to jump for it.

I looked down at the ground beneath the window, which seemed pretty high up, as I was on the 6th floor. But if I don't jump, I'm going to be shot and/or captured. I made my decision in 3 quick seconds; I jumped from the window and landed in a patch of exceptionally soft grass, even though I had landed on my feet I was glad it had been there.

'Over here, they musta escaped outta the window!'

A croaky male voice drifted down from the window I had just escaped from, and I knew now was the time to make my seemingly impossible escape. Looking around, I saw a forest just to my right. Thanking my lucky stars, I ran in frantically, not caring where I was headed, just focusing on getting as far away as I could. Thin twigs and branches scratched my face, leaving small cuts all over and tearing my clothes; my breath came more raggedly as I got faster and faster, making sure I got out of this mess alive.

After a few minutes I stopped, crouching down behind a large oak tree and peering out into the darkness. There was nothing here, yet I jumped when a small insect brushed past my leg. For goodness sake! I've run away from missions plenty of times, and those times were much worse!

'Hey, Avery, I think I saw the little bitch running over this way. Get over here and help me flush her out!'

My heart skipped a beat – there was nowhere left to run. I backed away slowly, trying not to make my presence known, but it was too late; they were going to find me at any minute. There's only one thing for it; I'm just going to have to fight my way outta here. I approached the first guy from behind and struck him clean around the head. He fell straight to the floor with a muted thud. Now for the second – what the hell was that? Something ran past me at an alarming speed. The next thing I knew the remaining guards were shouting and screaming, trying to get away from whatever had come past me so quickly, yet left me here. Alive.

The screaming stopped as suddenly as it had started, as I peered over, I saw their lifeless bodies on the ground; I would've thought they were dead, except there was a steady rising of their chests which proved they were barely alive.

'Are you alright?'

An urgent voice behind me made me gasp and whirl around. There stood the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my life. His hair was an untidy mess, coloured bronze and waving in the slight breeze; his eyes were familiar rich amber, but they were so clear and hypnotizing that I didn't have a chance to work out where I had seen them before; his skin was pale, unnaturally so, yet it was a thing of beauty, something I couldn't tear my eyes away from; he was wearing deep blue jeans which fitted him in all the right places, a thin, plain black t-shirt and black converse trainers.

'Uhh yeah I guess, who are you, and what are you doing out here? It's really dangerous.'

I shook my head at him, if that thing – whatever it was – hadn't come by and attacked those guys, we both would've been done for. The thought of putting this man – or is he a boy? – In danger hurt me badly, very badly. To my surprise and somewhat annoyance, he simply laughed at me.

'Okay answer 1 – I'm Edward Cullen, very nice to meet you by the way.' He grinned at me nervously; I gave him one back in return. 'Answer 2 – I'm out camping for the weekend, thought it would be fun. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of danger is there?' I opened my mouth to retaliate, but he got in there first. 'So who are you? I mean, I know what you were doing; you were stealing from that computer company. Oh don't worry I won't tell!' he said quickly, seeing my horror-struck face. He was kind, yet he hadn't met me before in his life! But my heart sank once more when I thought of the dilemma I could have gotten him into.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing, nothing. Look, we have to get out of here, I don't know what hurt those other guards, but we want to get away before it gets back.' I took an anxious look around me, just in case it decided to come back.

'Yeah, yeah sure.' He looked around shiftily, obviously terrified, but trying to be a brave man in the situation. I gave him a warm smile and beckoned for him to follow me. Instead of following me as I walked forward, he took my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. His hand was bitterly cold, but extremely smooth; now there was another dilemma – how on Earth was I going to make myself let go?!

'Where are we going, I came in that way?'

'You want to go back past the building you were just caught stealing from?' He looked back and gave me a sly grin, which made me feel extremely warm as well as embarrassed.

'Good thinking. Oh, and I wouldn't camp out here tonight, not if they're out looking for me.' He was not going to get dragged into my sordid affairs; he seemed much too good for that. I mean, how many boys do you know that rescue girls from getting arrested form armed guards? The answer – hardly any. Yet, I had found one.

'No I won't. And you shouldn't break into any more computer labs – a least for a little while anyway' his laugh echoed off the trees, sending a few birds flying away in terror.

'Shh!' I said half-heartedly as I was laughing. This boy knew what he was doing.

'Did you bring a car or something? Just so I know where to lead you'

'Motorbike. It should be somewhere around here ...'

The place we were now stood seemed oddly familiar, hopefully because I had parked my bike somewhere close by.

'Yeah, it's over there look.' He ushered me forward and pointed towards a clearing just in front of us. Sure enough, there was my bike, glossy black and shimmering under the moonlight. I turned back to Edward and sighed – this was probably the last time I would ever see him again. Yet, I knew that I couldn't let that happen.

'Do you want a ride somewhere?' I tried to make my face sound calm, trying not to show the hope that burned inside me, threatening to send him running back the way he came.

'Sure.' He smiled and lifted me off the floor and into his arms so fast that I gave a small scream, he simply grinned at me again. 'You know, you still haven't told me your name' he said casually, placing me on the bike and sitting behind me, clasping me around the waist tightly.

'Bella Swan.' I heard the slight smugness in my voice as I looked down at his hands, which tightened slightly as I revved the engine.

'Swan?'

'Yeah, why?'

'Nothing, it's just ... unusual.' The tone of his voice made me feel as though he was lying, but I didn't persist, I was far too happy. Okay, maybe I was too happy about this, for a guy that I was never going to see again in my life.

'Anyway, where are you headed?'

'You know the way to Green acres? Well, it's on one of the back road's leading down to there.'

'You're gonna have to help me, I'm sorta new around here.'

He nodded, and I accelerated as fast as I could go, trying to put as many miles between me and the company which had just tried to kill me. The road flew underneath me, and I felt the same exhilarated feeling I always had when I experienced things with speed.

'Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet or something? I mean you're going pretty fucking fast.' Edwards voice was full of panic, but I notice how he never said "we should be wearing helmets" it was just me he worried about.

'Please don't insult me' I laughed loudly, the motorbike was almost silent, and didn't drown my voice out at all. He laughed and shook his head with me, but I noticed him arms get tighter, like he was getting a firmer grip. 'Are you scared?' I asked softly. I did this often, but maybe he hadn't, I didn't want him to feel scared.

'Not for myself'

'What do you mean?' I asked, he didn't answer; instead he released his grip on my waist and leaned closer. My heart beat faster as I felt his perfect body pressed against mine. He prised my hands off the handlebars and took control himself. All the while he came ever closer, leaning his head on my shoulder as he drove the motorbike. 'Hey!' I laughed, trying to get control back.

'You don't know where you're going remember? And I don't want you to crash or something, you seemed a little distracted.' He looked away from the road to wink at me, whilst I stared at him in horror.

'I'm perfectly capable of driving a motorbike. Perhaps even more than you are' I said coldly, glaring at him. He didn't relinquish control; it just made him grin even more. 'What's so funny?'

'You're adorable when you're angry' he laughed loudly, steering into a long road that seemed mainly filled with trees and branches, but looking closer, I saw it was a long driveway. I looked back at him in confusion. Where on Earth had he led me?

'Where are we?' I asked, trying to sound annoyed, but I'm sure he heard the happy tone in my voice. I was still indulging over the fact that he had called me adorable.

'This is my driveway; I know it's a little extravagant.' He pulled up to a large, well, mansion at the end of the overgrown driveway. He turned the engine off and I turned around to face him. 'Do you want to come inside?' he asked, looking a little hopeful.

'Yes-' I began, but one look at my watch told me I was very late, and Brian and Caroline were bound to ask plenty of questions when I got in. 'I can't, the step-losers will be wondering where I am' I sighed, would this be the last time I ever saw him?

'Oh, I understand' he looked down at the floor, maybe he had been thinking along the same lines as me. 'Maybe we'll see each other again.' He said half-hopefully, looking back up at me.

'Maybe' I took a chance – perhaps my last chance. I leaned my head up and kissed him gently on his lips 'thankyou Edward, I'll never forget you' I whispered whilst his eyes were still closed. He took this as I had meant it to, and he climbed off the bike, kissing me on the cheek before he made his way up to the house.

I didn't give myself one last look at his perfect face before I gunned the engine and accelerated back down the overgrown driveway, battling tears the whole way. The perfect boy I had ever met, and probably ever would meet, and he was gone. I didn't dare hope that I would see him again for the knowing that it would never happen.

The journey home took less time than I had expected, and I was surprised to find that I remembered my way back. The living room light was still on, even though it was 11 0 clock on a Monday night. Hopefully Caroline and Brian were so used to me getting home late that they wouldn't even bother asking where I had been.

I pulled into the driveway behind my Lamborghini - Weaver had someone drop it off earlier – and headed up to the front door, pausing before I actually entered it. The house looked exactly same as when I had left this morning, as no-one had bothered to clear up the mascara that dippy Caroline had spilled this morning. It made a huge black stain which looked very out of place in the pristine hallway.

'Bella? Is that you honey?' I groaned as she called me from the living room. I felt a little annoyed, who else would it be?

'Yeah, I'm just going up to bed.'

'Okay then, night angel.' I pretended to puke as I mounted the stairs, Brian had a nasty habit of calling me angel, and it did not work well with me. I ran the last few stairs as I thought of Edward, afraid that I would burst into tears right there in the hallway.

I ran to my room, slamming the door behind me and flinging myself onto my bed, sobbing my heart out into my pillow. Edward was the most decent guy I had ever met, I knew I was never going to find anyone who made me feel the way he did, or made me like them as quickly as he had.

I don't know how long the tears flowed, it could have been years, I felt that lousy. I hadn't cried this much since my mom died, and even then I knew that I would get over it and get on with my life. I know it sounds so trivial and teenage-like, but I will never love anyone properly, not after tonight. The tears eventually ran out, and I sank into a deep and dreamless sleep for the second time this week.


	3. Surprises

For the second time since I came to this godforsaken place, I woke remembering the previous day with anxiety. All I could see were a pair of rich amber eyes, the ones which warped my mind and confused my senses. As I sat up, I felt groggy and disorientated trying to figure out what I had to do today. One look at the alarm clock made me jump off the bed in a panic – if I didn't hurry I was going to be late for school, as it was already 8:45.

I ran around the room in a hurry, quickly pulling on the same clothes as yesterday; oh well, I hardly wore them anyway. How typical, I'm in a rush and I can't find my fucking car keys! I overturned everything and eventually found them underneath my laptop – gods knows what they were doing there.

Some 10 minutes later I flew out of the house and into the car, stalling it in my hurry to get it started and get to school. It was pandemonium; the streets had to have traffic today! I went on all the back roads and eventually made it to school with 5 minutes to spare.

'Oh shit' I groaned as I saw Emmett leant against his car, glaring as I pulled into the empty space beside him. I saw that there were others waiting for him a little walk away, but I barely noticed; all I could see was the angry expression on his face.

'Uhmm hi?' I said nervously as I stepped out of the car, swinging my bag over my shoulder with a little more attention than I would usually have given it.

'Are you going to explain why you ran off yesterday? Or do I have to assume that you were meeting some guy and now I have to go and knock the shit outta him?'

His face was livid, I knew that he had been really worried about me yesterday, and now I was going to pay for it.

'I ... got called out. That's all I swear. So ... you don't have to beat anybody up. Okay?'

My words just wouldn't come out properly. I had been here a grand total of 2 days and I had already managed to piss my brother off. He looked at me in disbelief, like he was going to keep on interrogating me, but then thought the best of it and gave me a huge smile.

'I can't say anything, I've bunked off plenty of times!' he laughed loudly and I glared at him; he was going to give me a telling-off for something he apparently does all the time!

'Hilarious Em, are you coming inside or what?' I said coldly, turning away to go into the school – a place I had only spent half an hour so far.

'Oh lighten up! Anyway we aint going to lesson yet, I want you to meet some people.' He directed me towards the small group that was crowded around the silver Volvo I had almost hit yesterday; I thanked my lucky stars again that I hadn't.

The group was consisted of 4 people; one was the small pixie-like girl I had met yesterday, who gave me a huge wave and a cheeky grin as I approached. One was her boyfriend, the westerner type who gave me another wave and a sly wink; another was a beautiful blonde girl, tall, slim and model-type, she gave me a small hug as I approached. I assumed it was Emmett's girlfriend by the way she kissed him. The last boy had his back to me, and was doing some math work or something on the bonnet of his car; I didn't bother introducing myself, I guessed Emmett had filled them in already.

'Hey you must be Bella right?' said the blonde girl, giving me another smile – looking at her; she was like a life-size Barbie. At the sound of my name the other boy with his back to me straightened up, but didn't turn around. Strange kid. 'I'm Rosalie, and this is Alice' she pointed to the little pixie-girl 'Jasper' the cowboy guy pretended to tip his hat to me 'and this is Edward' my heart skipped a beat. Edward, Edward? Surely not Edward Cullen?

The boy turned around and I felt extremely faint, it was Edward, the boy who had saved me yesterday was turning around and gazing at me as though I was a gift from above.

'Hi Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper. It's really nice to meet you all' I looked Edward in the eye and gave him a look which told him to go along as though we hadn't met before. I didn't want to tell Emmett about my job, at least not yet.

The bell suddenly rang extremely loud and shrill, yet I couldn't think of a sound I wanted to hear more. Students bustled all around us, hurrying to get up to the school before they were counted as late. We all followed, but me and Edward lagged behind a little. He looked at me incredulously as we got into the school.

'I can't believe it, I thought I'd never see you again!' he ran his hands through his hair and gazed down at me like I was a precious gift; all I could was smile back at him.

'I know, I can't believe it either. This means we'll see each other almost everyday doesn't it?' I paused and grimaced internally, what if he thought I was too eager? Or worse - clingy? But he just laughed and high-fived me, grinning like a Cheshire cat the entire time.

'What have you got first?' he asked, still with a huge smile on his face.

'No idea, two minutes' I took out the timetable Emmett had given me yesterday and studied it quickly. 'Algebra, then Social studies' I grimaced a little – I hated both these subjects.

'Okay, I have none if those' he gave such a strange look that I burst out laughing, much to his amusement. 'You're so nasty.' He folded his arms and pretended to scowl at me, but all that did was make me laugh harder. He joined in with me, but the presence of someone else made us stop abruptly.

'New girlfriend Cullen?' a tall boy who looked as pale as Edward did came down the corridor, sneering at Edward and leering at me. He was gangly, but around Edwards height; he was attractive, but not handsome like he was. He had deep almost red eyes which made me back away; Edward kept a firm hand around my waist as the boy got closer.

'No Aiden, but she's not going to be yours either.' He glared at Aiden who kept his eyes fixed on me. I looked up at Edward nervously, there was just something not right about this guy.

'We'll see about that. How bout it cutie, wanna be with me instead of this loser?' he grinned even harder as Edward let out a growl beside me; this was going to end up in a fight if I didn't do something about it.

'I don't think so shit-for-brains, I wouldn't touch you with a 10 foot bargepole.' Edward laughed triumphantly at my side, but he pulled me closer as Aiden gave a warning growl.

'Yeah, well when you've been here a few weeks we'll see who you want to be with then. I maybe able to ... Uhh ... persuade you.' He winked one last time and I shuddered, there was definitely something threatening about his last sentence; but I stood by what I said, he made my skin crawl.

'Are you okay?' he looked at me anxiously when I shuddered, perhaps he knew something sinister about Aiden that I didn't.

'Yeah I'm fine, but who was that guy? He sure had an ego.' I glared at the place where he had disappeared, all the fear had gone, only to be placed by anger and rage.

'His name is Aiden, he reckons he owns the school, but he doesn't mess with us. You'd better watch you step, he can turn really nasty, and I think he really wants you.' He too glared at the place where he had gone, and his grip got even tighter, like he was scared that Aiden was just going to run back around the corner and rip me away form Edwards protective arms.

'We'd better get to class; we're late enough as it is.' I glanced at my phone; we were now 10 minutes late to our first lesson because of that loser Aiden.

'Yeah okay, look do you want to meet up with us at dinner? I think your third lesson is the same as Rosalie's, so we'll meet you both in the cafeteria. I mean, if you want to.' He looked at me anxiously, like he had just jumped in with both feet and was worrying I would back away from him. What a stupid thing to think.

'Yeah I'd like that, I'll see you later. Oh, and thanks for the thing with Aiden, that's twice you've helped me.' He smiled in an embarrassed way; I gave him a wave and headed into the classroom next to us. He had been leading me here before Aiden decided to butt in.

I opened the door quickly and then closed it, whilst Edward watched to make sure I went in. I turned around and sure enough everyone in the class was staring at me.

'Thankyou very much for joining us' the teacher had a very sarcastic voice, and I could tell that I wasn't going to get on with him at all. 'Perhaps you would like to take a seat, or would you prefer a throne?' everyone in the class glared at him, angry that he had insulted me.

'I think I'll survive on a chair.' I gave him a dirty look as I passed his desk. I sat down in the only seat left, which was next to a small girl with plaits.

'Hey, he's an ass-hole isn't he?' the girl glared at the teachers back as she spoke; she moved her bag from under the desk so that I could sit down.

'Damn right. I'm Bella Swan, what's your name?' please be Heidi, please be Heidi.

'Jessica Stanley' dammit 'the teacher is Mr. Rubric, but most people call him tosser or ass-hole.'

'I'm gonna go with ass-hole. Hey, do you know anyone called Aiden? He was just hassling me in the hallway.' The look on her face told me that he was not someone I should be messing with. Her face went pale, her jaw dropped and her eyes looked like they were going to burst out of the sockets. 'What, what is it?'

'You should stay away from him Bella, far away. He didn't get charged of course, but two of the girls here reckoned that he raped them. They were too scared to call the police, so of course he called them liars. But everyone knows he's capable, so if he's onto you, you should definitely watch out.'

'You honestly think he'd try raping me?' I asked in disbelief, there was no way I was going to let some punk-ass like that get to me. 'Can I ask those girls?'

'No, they're long gone.'

'They left?'

'Disappeared on a school trip. There was an enquiry of course, but no-one dared point the finger at Aiden, he and his family are more powerful than people can cope with.' She bit her lip and honestly looked terrified by him, could he have actually raped these girls and possibly murdered them?

'You're really scared aren't you?'

'Of course. Why do you think I'm wearing these ridiculous things?' she plucked at the plaits which hung down by the side of her face, like they were keeping her alive somehow. 'We don't make ourselves look pretty if we can, once he spots a pretty girl he has to have her. I mean you; you look really beautiful the way you're dressed, that's why he's gone for you.'

I blushed at what she had said; I wasn't beautiful, not by a long shot. I suddenly remembered how gorgeous Rosalie and Alice had looked out in the parking lot. If he really did go after pretty girls, why hadn't he gotten to them already?

'Is he afraid of Emmett and Jasper?' she smiled at me kindly.

'I think so, Edward as well. He's never gone for Rosalie or Alice, and he steers clear of anything that might get Emmett, Jasper or Edward mad. Did Emmett tell you what happened a few weeks ago?'

I stared at her on horror. If James had done something to my brother I was going to annihilate him, rapist and murderer or not.

'No, tell me please.' We paused as Mr. Rubric passed our table. Jessica handed me a piece of paper and I pretended to write down whatever crap was on the board. When he passed I turned to her again. 'So what happened?'

'Well Emmett brought a photo of you and your mom in to show his friends, they were all really excited you were coming, we could hear them from our table.' So my fears about Emmett not liking me were completely irrational, he had been excited about me coming for weeks! 'Anyway, Aiden saw it and was completely besotted by it, so Emmett went to knock him out and warn him to stay away from you, but Edward got there first. We've never seen him so mad! He grabbed James and threw him against a wall, shouting that he'd better stay away from you or he'd kill him.'

I sat there in complete shock and silence. Before Edward had even met me he was protecting me form getting raped and/or murdered. But why would he do that for a girl he didn't know? For all he knew I might have been a nasty bitch who had to get her own way. That might have also been an edited photo, what if I wasn't as cute as I had looked on the picture?

'Why?' was all I could say through my unmoving lips.

'No-one knows, but after he did it they all sort of patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. He kinda put his head in his hands – he looked really depressed.'

'I can't believe he would threaten him like that over a photo'

'I know, but Aiden is a head-case, you were in danger from him before you even got here.'

The bell rang again, breaking me out of my thoughts; if Edward had seen my photo, then he would have known instantly who I was last night. Especially since I told him my name. But perhaps – the little voice in my head said – perhaps he was so smitten with you like you were with him, that he didn't take notice of your name, maybe he liked you because you were nice to him.

I shook my head to get rid of the confusing thoughts, and followed a boy I heard say he had Social studies next. It was quite far away, but I was glad as I had more time to think without being disturbed by some random teacher.

'Oh!' I gasped as I walked straight into someone, his books fell to the floor and I bent down quickly to help pick them up. 'I'm so sorry I-' as I looked up, I saw that I had walked into Jasper – brilliant.

'That's alright, I suppose you have a lot to think about huh?' he frowned slightly and looked at his books.

'Edward told you about Aiden.' I assumed, after what Jessica had told me I knew that some if not all would be interested to know what he had been up to.

'Yeah he did. He probably already warned you but I will as well, he's bad news, so don't go looking for trouble with him' Jasper looked me deep in the eyes, then smiled and patted my shoulder. 'Anyway you'd better get going, don't want to be late for another class do you?'

'No thanks, not after the sarcasm I got last time.'

'Yeah the algebra teachers a bastard aint he? Anyway, I'll see you at lunch Bella.' He began to stride off down the hallway, but turned round at the last minute and said 'by the way, social studies are in the corridor on your next left.'

'Thanks Jasper!' I shouted, and he waved in recognition over his shoulder. I ran down the corridor, anxious not to be late again, and entered the classroom. Good, the students were still walking around and talking, but this made it harder for me to find a seat...

'Hello, you must be the new student Bella.' An older woman came over to me and relieved me of my awkwardness. She had graying hair and wore lots of gypsy type skirts and bangles. 'I'm Miss Barber, I'm afraid there's only one seat left.' She grimaced and pointed to the back of the room, where Aiden – dammit – was sitting at a table on his own. His grinned and winked when he saw me. 'Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him, and I'm truly sorry.'

I nodded my head at her and went to sit at the back of the classroom with Aiden, whilst the rest of the students gave me pitying looks.

'Hey there sweetie-pie, I knew you'd come to me eventually.' His hand stroked my leg under the table. I grabbed it and squeezed it hard, which made him wince a little.

'If you want to keep your hand attached to your arm, I suggest you keep it away from my leg.' I thrust it back at him and turned to face the front. All throughout Miss Barber's lesson he kept whispering to me. 'You know, I like feisty girls, I think I may actually want you even more.' I turned to face him, only to find that his face was inches from mine 'You're very beautiful did you know that?' he bent his face as though to kiss me, but I was quicker. With a quick move of my hand I punched him straight in the face, and a large cracking sound told me his nose was most likely broken.

I ran out of the room, trying to ignore Aiden's cries of pain and the cheers that the whole class – including Miss Barber – was giving me. I ran a few corridors and leant against someone's locker, still breathing hard. It would be just my luck to be thrown out of school after 2 hours. Why on Earth did I have to punch him?! He's gong to be even worse to me now. Weaver is always telling me to control my temper, yet I have a complete lapse in control at school!

The bell ran so loud that it made ears hurt, and a torrent of students came pouring out of the classrooms. A few of them gave me weird passing glances as they passed me, and when I looked down I saw that my hand was dripping with blood. I ran to the nearest bathroom and tried to clean it up as fast as I could. The blood ran down the drain and left dark stains on the tile, but I didn't care, I didn't want Emmett to find out that I'd been fighting. But knowing him, he would probably congratulate me for it.

I came out the bathroom when a few other girls came into it, I assumed that it was now recess, but I was going to try and find my new classroom and/or Rosalie. The corridors were completely congested, and I had a feeling that I was going in completely the wrong direction.

'Bella!' a voice behind me scared me to death, but on turning I saw that it was Alice Cullen. She ran up to me when I turned around, her bag seemed rooted in place and she seemed to avoid the entire crowd. The way she moved was so graceful that I felt a little bit of jealousy – why couldn't I move like that?

'Hey, you have no idea where you're going do you?' I shook my head. 'Come with me, I'm going to meet the others, then you can go to lesson with Rosalie.'

She smiled and took my hand as she led me to where the others were waiting. We went along lots of corridors, and I wondered vaguely how long the recess here was, I was still a little confused on the major details. We passed my social studies class, but I didn't dare look inside just in case Aiden was still in there. But after a good shaking of my head, I realized with hope that he might have been sent home.

'Nice move with Aiden by the way.'

'Whoa what?! How did you know about that?'

'Oh everyone's talking about it, we all saw Aiden getting taken away, then everyone in your social studies class was talking about it' she grinned at me, and I just had to ask.

'Am I in trouble with my brother dearest?' she laughed loudly at me, causing lots of passers-by to look at her strangely.

'No he's really proud of you; but I think he, Edward and Jasper may kill him for what he was about to do. Oh yeah that got spread around as well' she added when she saw my horror-struck face. Great, not even 1 day with my brother and I'm not going to see him after he serves some form of murder sentence.

'Great, I'll have to restrain both Emmett and Edward, you can deal with Jasper.' She was still laughing at me when we turned the last corner and I saw the rest of them stood there waiting for us.

'Bella!' they all shouted at me, running up and asking plenty of questions that I didn't have a chance of hearing let alone answering.

'Stop!' I screamed, and they all shut up at once. 'Repeat one at a time.'

'Are you alright?' of course Edward got in there first, looking at me like I was about to drop dead or something.

'Yes I'm fine, in case you hadn't noticed he's the one with the broken nose not me.'

'Did he try and kiss you?' Rosalie got in there before Emmett could shout a load of profanities about Aiden. He looked absolutely livid, and I was sure I was right about the prison thing. I wonder if he'll be good enough to get out on bail...

'Bella?'

'Oh right sorry. Yeah he did, but before you say anything I wasn't about to let him do that was I? I'm big enough and ugly enough to stand up for myself.' I looked around in triumph; they seemed to have met their match on their kill Aiden death mission.

'You're wrong; you are no where near ugly enough.' I turned to glare at Edward who seemed determined to find a way to get him allowed to beat Aiden to death.

'Nice one slick, but you aren't beating Aiden up, I can handle him myself.' He looked disgruntled, but nevertheless nodded and scowled. I knew he wasn't happy at all by this – but for the moment I didn't care.

The bell rang again, I'm sure it was nowhere near this loud in my old school. But then again, I can hardly compare this dump to the New York high school. Everyone waved at me as they headed off to their next lessons; I could've sworn that I saw Emmett give Edward a warning look, but I decided to ignore it. Who needs anymore of the ultra weird in their life? Rosalie was the only one who stayed behind, and we walked together to our next lesson – Spanish. I smiled as I sat next to Rosalie; apart from P.E, English and biology, this was a lesson I was moderately good in.

'So how long have you and Emmett been together?' I thought I'd rather get to know her and her family better than listen to the teacher speak about sentences, which I had been studying at my old school, and I practically knew it off by heart.

'Oh, about 6 months, but we know each other as though we've been together years, I love him so much.' She gazed at the ceiling adoringly, obviously thinking of Emmett; I was glad that he had found someone that he wanted to be with. 'What about you, have you got a boyfriend?'

'No, we split up a couple of weeks ago. My ex-boyfriend Danny was about the biggest loser at the end of our relationship than any guy in the history of the world. At the beginning he was really kind and caring, but then when we both hit 16 ... well you can probably imagine what he wanted.' I grimaced as I thought of how stupid I was to actually give him what I wanted.

'I'm assuming you gave it to him' she smiled at me in sympathy. 'Some boys are total pigs.' She smiled again and reached into her purse for something. 'Look at this, this is me and Emmett, you see how sweet he is; how many guys do you know that would willingly go shopping with their girlfriends? Without complaining and persuading that is.'

She gave me a tiny picture of Rosalie and Emmett outside a store; I knew Emmett was a good guy, but to actually do something he hated with a girl was a new level.

'Yeah he's a great guy. So tell me about your family, the others are your adoptive sibling's right?' I wanted to find out about Edward; he was mysterious yet kind, protective yet reckless. Exactly the kind of guy I wanted.

'Yeah they are; all our parents are dead, but me and Jasper are real twins, so we're the only ones with family. We were adopted by Carlisle – he's a doctor at the hospital – and Esme, she's an interior decorator. What about you, I heard you had step-parents or something?'

'Yeah, Brian and Caroline; he was my moms boyfriend, and he had to look after me when she died. He's the manager of a log-hauling firm, so it was natural for him to move his business up here. She's his new girlfriend; she's an ex-playboy bunny.' I grimaced at that, I hated Caroline's flighty past, even worse was admitting it to people.

'I feel for you' we both burst out laughing; thankfully the teacher had already set the class off working, so no-one heard us.

The whole lesson we spent laughing about the boys and arranging shopping trips; I could see myself becoming best friends with Rosalie so easily, she was really fun to be around. We were laughing so much that I gave a small scream when the bell rang; this didn't help as we lapsed into even more giggles.

When we eventually got out of there we were laughing so hard that I couldn't see where I was going. Then she told me another story that made me burst out laughing again.

'Okay ... okay' she managed between burst of giggles. 'When we all first moved here ... this girl named Tanya ... begged Edward to have sex with her ... right there in the cafeteria!!' I thought I might explode with laughter. It didn't help that at that very moment we entered the cafeteria, Edward was the first person we saw. Everyone gave us extremely dirty looks as we stumbled over to the table, still crying with laughter.

'What's up with you two?' Emmett asked, trying to keep the grin off his face. Edward had a look of pure confusion on his face, which made us laugh even more.

'Seriously you two what is it?' Alice was grinning as well, but at the look on Edwards face, he was adorable when he was confused – he looked about 6.

'Okay, okay.' I managed to stop the giggles to explain. 'Rosalie was telling me some seriously funny stories.'

'What stories?' Edward looked at Rosalie suspiciously an evil glint in his eye. 'Seriously Rose what did you tell her?' now he looked plain panicked, like there was something he definitely didn't want me to know.

'Oh nothing, so how's Tanya these days?' I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing at the same time everyone else did, but no-one was as loud as Emmett, whose booming laugh made vibrations on the table. This made everyone laugh even harder. The only person who wasn't laughing was Edward, who stormed from the table and went out the back doors. Everyone else carried on, but I stopped abruptly; I looked around at the others, but instead of staying with them I followed Edward out to the parking lot.

He was sat on his Volvo with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed; I could tell he had been really pissed off by us all laughing at him. Thinking about it, I knew I had been really cruel when all he had been was pure goodness to me.

'Edward?' I asked softly, but uncertainly; I really hoped he would forgive me; I wanted his friendship much more than anyone else's. He opened his eyes and looked at me, but they weren't filled with anger or even sadness; they looked confused, even a little scared.

'Yes Bella?'

'Sorry about in there, Rosalie just made everything sound so funny...' I didn't finish as his eyes closed again. He was mad with me I knew it. 'Sorry, really.' I expected him to say that I was a freak and to leave him the hell alone, but instead he opened his eyes and smiled at me. He patted the bonnet beside him; breathing a sigh of relief I went and sat next to him on the car.

'That's alright, Rosalie goes a little too far sometimes. I don't blame you at all, honestly.' He smiled at me reassuringly as I looked at him uncertainly. 'Really, I won't hold it against you' I noticed that we were very close together, just one inch and we would be nose to nose. Or even better mouth to mouth...

'Thanks, it's just you seemed really upset when you walked out of the cafeteria ...'

'Yeah, I didn't really want you to hear about Tanya. You see, I really like you Bella; you're different to the other girls here. Last night made me realize that you're the only one for me, but I won't rush you into anything if you don't want.' He gazed up at me from under his lashes, and it was almost impossible to deny him – but I knew I must, to save him.

'Look Edward, I really like you too, and I would give anything to be with you, it's just that I can't.' My voice sounded almost pleading.

'You ... can't?' his face twisted with sadness and grief, yet the determinedness to have me never left his eyes.

'Edward, my friend's husband was killed by the other side, just because she loved him. They will use the people you love against you, and I couldn't bear it if that happened to you.' I bowed my head in shame; surely he realized now what a huge mistake he was making.

'I don't care, if being in danger means being with you then I'll take it.' He stroked my cheek and tried to make me look at him, but I couldn't let him live in danger – there was absolutely no way.

'I'm sorry Edward, but we're just going to have to be friends. Maybe ... maybe in a while, but I can't promise anything. Don't waste your time on me; you should go for other girls.' Before he had a chance to say anything more I was already walking back up to school; yet again fighting tears for Edward Cullen.

*

Karma sucks, I mean really sucks. It would be just my luck to have the next lesson the same as Edward, and he insisted on sitting next to me even though I knew I'd hurt him. He seemed alright about it; I mean he went and got my books and our equipment, and he made jokes with me, but I couldn't help but feel remorse over rejecting him.

When we had gotten back into the cafeteria, Alice thought I was stupid, as I couldn't tell her why I had said no.

'What do you mean you won't go out with him? I thought you two were getting on pretty well!'

'Al they've only known each other for a few hours.' Jasper had whispered to her, but she still seemed intent on getting us together.

'It's complicated Alice' I sighed, never lifting my gaze from the now interesting table.

'Please just drop it Alice' Edward was mortified at her behavior, and kept shaking his head at her, and mouthing at her to shut up.

'I still don't understand Bella, I mean you and Edward seemed to be getting on pretty okay. Not to mention the fact that he stopped Aiden from getting at you this morning ... Bella?'

It was at this point that I hadn't been able to take it. I had run form the cafeteria in tears, trying to block out everyone calling me from behind. I had run to the only bathroom I could locate which was a few corridors away. Once inside I cried as quietly as I could, but the tears flowed down my face relentlessly. Rosalie and Alice never came; I assumed Edward and Emmett had told them to leave me alone. For this I was glad, I didn't want anyone seeing me like this.

Long story short I had mopped myself up and headed to my next lesson, where Edward had been waiting anxiously for me. After a long string of apologies he finally stopped, but not without giving me paranoid glances every few minutes.

Eventually I laid my head on the table and refused to take part in the lesson. The teacher had come by and asked Edward if I was sick, but he faithfully told him I was just tired. This made a whole fresh batch of silent tears come – ones I hid with my arms, but I'm sure he heard – as Edward had lied to stop the teacher from asking too many questions.

As soon as the bell rang I shot out of there, not paying attention to Edwards's goodbyes, not even worrying that I didn't know where my next lesson was. As soon as I knew he was out of sight, I got my map and timetable out and tried to find my next lesson. I suppressed a groan; I was in no mood to do P.E; even if it was my favourite lesson.

I headed to the gym in a foul mood, my timetable said that for this term we would be playing soccer; I knew it was kind of braggy, but I was so good at this sport that everyone I played with or against bored me, making the game totally pointless.

I changed into my black gym shorts in a daze, trying to figure out how I could make time go faster. I had considered ditching, but as soon as I entered the gym I was glad I hadn't.

'Bella!' Jacobs's voice echoed across the hall, and I felt a huge grin go across my face. It wouldn't be too bad now that I had someone to talk to, and from what I heard from Jessica Jacob and his mates were a good laugh.

'Hey Jake, these your mates?' I went over to him and a large group of boys. They all had the same copper colored skin, cropped black hair and were seriously muscled up; a little bit like my brother.

'Yepp, Bella this is Quil, Embry, Sam, Jared and Paul. Guys this is my new friend Bella Swan.' All the boys gave me cheery waves – I knew I was going to get along with them well.

'Swan ... does that mean you're related to Emmett?' Sam asked me outright, and the others looked kind of shocked towards him, like they didn't want him to ask me that. Jacob looked kind of embarrassed, like Sam had just done something really cringe-worthy.

'Yeah why?'

'We don't really get along, that's all.' I nodded once and turned to Jared, who had just returned with a soccer ball.

'You any good my dear?' he grinned and chucked the ball to me. I headed it and then did some pretty fancy foot work whilst they all looked on amazedly. I kicked the ball back to Jacob who gave me a high-five.

'She's a fucking natural; you can play on our team. We never lose, even though we have fewer players.' I grinned at Jacob and positioned myself up-front; I always liked to be in on the action.

The teachers whistle went, and I was straight in there. Jacob and his friends were great to play with, and we won all of out matches easily. At the end, the teacher – coach Clapp – awarded us with a huge chocolate trophy, and the team picked me up and put me on their shoulders.

Jessica came running out of the changing rooms with my bag; I gave her a wave to show my thanks, and Jacob and Jared carried me out of the sports hall. Apparently today had been some sort of mini-tournament to decide who would be playing in the unisex playoffs in March. As we won, we were going to be representing the school. I was overjoyed, I had found a place that I actually felt I belonged in, and new friends to boot.

The parking lot was full of students as we entered it, me still on Jacob and Jared's shoulders – though they assured me that only one was needed to carry a midget like me. People laughed as they pretended to drop me and I screamed, but Jacobs arm was firm around my leg the entire time. Looking down at it I felt sickened with myself, as I liked it much more than I should. To make matters worse, Edward was looking at the same place I was, his face impassive so I had no hope of reading it.

'Okay, okay, put me down I've gotta go home.' I squealed again as they let go, but their arms remained firm around my waist as they lowered me to the ground beside my car.

'Seeya soccer girl!'

'Nice playing number 7!'

'Woo! Were gonna win the tournament with you soccer girl!'

They all ran away, and I couldn't help but laugh at them. Hanging with them was so easy, if only I didn't keep getting mixed messages from Jake...

'You're a pretty girl'

'I mean it stay away from me'

Two familiar voices were coming from a little way beside me; Aiden was hitting on Alice, and I knew I had to do something. He was a complete and utter creep, and to see him hitting pathetically on one of my friends made my skin crawl.

'I mean it, leave me alone or I'll get Jasper.'

'Hey!' I shouted, stepping in between Alice and Aiden, who was trying to feel her up. 'Leave her alone bastard or I'll break something else.' His nose looked twisted and warped – a definite break.

'Ooh, now there's my feisty girl, you decided to come back to me?' before I had a chance to do anything about it, his lips were on mine. I went for the punch, but someone got there before me. One fist went into his face, one into his stomach, and another two hands were reaching for me and Alice. When I looked up, Emmett was standing over Aiden, spitting on him as he tried to move. Jasper was holding Alice tightly, whilst she assured him that she was alright. Another pair of hands came towards me and clasped themselves securely around my waist, and was leaning over me protectively. It was no surprise to me to see Edward looking down at me as I looked up. His face was murderously angry, yet he was trying to hide it bravely, I knew that he wanted to go over there and beat the shit out of Aiden again, but there was no way I was going to allow that.

'Are you alright?' he whispered to me, whilst Emmett came striding over with an equally angry Rosalie.

'I'm fine, thanks.' I got out of his grip as soon as I could. The others looked at me funny, but I felt as though I was using him, like I wanted him to protect me from Aiden. This made me boil over with anger, I could protect myself.

'I'm perfectly capable of looking after my fucking self!' I screamed into his shocked face.

'I never said you weren't Bella' I wanted him to get angry; I wanted him to hate me. More for himself than me, but he just seemed to take everything so calmly. This infuriated me even more.

'It's what you do genius! Just stay away from me okay?'

'Bella come on, he was only trying to help you' Emmett was looking at me warily, but he had no idea of what my full blown tantrums looked like; he didn't know me at all.

'Shut the fuck up Emmett, you don't know me and you never will!'

'What are you talking about?' his face was full of hurt. Good.

'I'm leaving, I'm going back home, and there's nothing you can do about it! I'm sick to death of this goddamn town!' I screamed in his face, and ran to my car, flinging the door open and gunning the engine. I raced out of there, only concentrating on getting the hell out of this crappy place. A few tears slid down my cheeks as I thought of Emmett and Edwards faces; how hurt they had looked and all they were trying to do was protect me. But I don't need protection, hell I don't even need family. Screw Edward, screw Emmett, screw the Cullen's and screw dad.

As I rounded the next corner I saw something that wasn't right. A pair of headlights was flashing towards me; I realized that I had been driving for hours, not getting anywhere just thinking and driving. The headlights came closer, and with a sinking feeling I realized that they were driving on the wrong side of the road and headed straight towards me. I knew at once that it must be one of my enemies, sent by someone to kill me in a presumed innocent car-crash by the emotional Bella Swan. I swerved to the other side of the road, and the headlights stayed on their side, but at the last minute they swerved back towards me. One scream, one crash, one smash of glass, and everything went black.


	4. Waking Up

The lights were blinding me; everything was a sparkling shade of yellow or white. Something plastic was running under my nose and across my arm; a beeping sound somewhere to the left gave me a faint hope that I was still alive. I hoped so, death shouldn't be this painful.

'Someone get Carlisle, I think she's waking up!'

Slowly and groggily, I opened my eyes. I saw that I was in fact alive, and in a sturdy hospital bed. I was in a private room and not a ward, and I was still in Forks. The blinding light was coming from the lamps that were situated all around the room, and my eyes had been used to the dark for... well I have no idea how long I was out.

A tall, blonde man came into the room and over to my bed, he smiled in a reassuring way before checking the monitor next to me. He was very handsome, with the same golden eyes as the others. It took me a moment to remember that none of them were related, but they all looked strangely alike; including my brother...

'Well then Bella, you've been very lucky, you were found quite quickly.' He got out a small medical torch and began looking into my eyes 'how do you feel?' he checked my pulse without looking at his watch. But it must have been fine because he smiled up at me again, waiting for my answer.

'Just really ... strange. How long have I been out?'

'2 weeks. You were very lucky, the coma was very short.'

'I was in a coma?!' I half-shrieked, really starting to panic. What if I had never woken up? Even worse, what if I had never gotten to say sorry to Edward and most of all Emmett?

'It's okay Bella, you're safe now' I hadn't noticed that I had started to cry, but Emmett had. He came over and put his arms around me, gently rocking me backwards and forwards as he did so. I just sat there and let him hold me, he didn't seem to care that I was getting his shirt damp. I looked up and saw that the rest of the Cullen's were in the room including a woman I had never seen before, but I assumed she was Esme the mother. And, with his own tears running down his face in the corner was my dad.

It was unbelievable how he was divided between looking like me and Emmett. He had mine and Emmett's black hair, but with Emmett's distinctive curls; he had the exact same shade of brown eyes that I had, and he was wearing a police outfit, from his badge, I assumed he was the chief. He gave me a shaky smile as he caught my eye, but never came any closer.

'Do you remember what happened Bella?' Emmett turned me around to face him and was now looking me straight in the eyes, but one look around the room told me everyone already knew what happened.

The door was suddenly flung open, and a furious Brian was stood in the doorway, screaming at me and trying to get closer. Quick as a flash Jasper, Carlisle and Charlie restrained him whilst Edward, Emmett and everyone else stood braced in front of me. This was the strangest thing ever, why was Brian yelling at me?

'Brian, what's going on? What have I done wrong?'

'Oh she asks what she's done wrong! You've only gone and killed another one of my fiancées!' I could only stare at him in shock. Caroline was dead? But I never had a chance to ask him, because as I was about to, security came and dragged him away.

'What happened?' I asked again, this time looking directly at Charlie, who I knew would tell me. It didn't matter if I was his daughter or not, he had to as a cop.

'The driver of the other car was his fiancée Caroline, and he blames you for her death.' I felt my mouth drop; I didn't even know Caroline could drive.

'What do you remember about the accident? The only other witness was Caroline and ... well, you know.' He trailed off, obviously thinking that it would upset me. But I was much more angry than upset; I knew that stupid cow would make me pay eventually.

'I went around the corner, and I saw that the car was on the wrong side of the road. I went onto the other side when I saw that there was nothing coming the other way' what a lie 'but she swerved into me at the last minute. Then the last thing I remember is the sound of breaking glass.' As I looked around the room I saw that many people looked ... well guilty. I couldn't think why, but before I had a chance to persist Charlie butt in.

'Look, I don't think you'll be living with Brian anymore, so what do you say about moving in with me and Emmett? I mean only if you want to' he turned a deep shade of red, probably thinking I wouldn't want anything to do with him after all these years. He was as foolish as Emmett.

'Yeah I'd really like that dad.' He beamed at the word I had used, and after a quick mumbling about going to see Brian, he had left the room.

'He's dead excited Bella!' said Emmett, beaming.

'He was so worried about you Bella; he never once left your side. But I suppose there were a few other people who didn't leave you either.' Rosalie winked at me from the corner, but never said who had stayed with me. To avoid further mental arguments, I presumed it was Emmett.

'Anyway, I think Bella should get some rest, and you lot should come home' Esme smiled at me from the corner and went over to Carlisle's side; who put a tender arm around her and kissed her forehead.

'Aww mom come on!' Jasper whined

'Mom!' Rosalie and Alice said in unison

'Do I really have to leave?' Edwards last sentence made me burn with shame, remembering how I had yelled at him before the crash, and now he wanted to stay by my bedside. I truly didn't deserve him.

'Yes, Bella needs rest and she's not going to get it with you noisy lot! Now come on, you all need some dinner, especially after being in a hospital for so long.' Edward shot her some kind of warning glance, but either she didn't notice, or she was ignoring him.

'See you later Bella' Alice said as everyone except Emmett left the room. I decided now would be the best time to tell him.

'Emmett I'm so sorry for what I said, I can't believe I had a go at you for something as stupid as that!'

'Stop! Okay look, I was upset by what you said, but I felt even worse when they told me what happened. I mean I went back to Rose's place and we were all talking about how we couldn't believe you were gone, and then Edward came running in saying you'd been in a car crash. We all went straight down to the hospital where you were in theatre. There was a glimmer of hope when Carlisle said the surgery had gone well, but then they came and told us you'd gone into a coma!' he buried his face in my pajama top, and for the moment nothing mattered except him. Me and the brother that I had been apart from for 11 years. I needed him to know that I loved him, and that we could now have a new start.

'Emmett, do you really want me around?'

'Of course I do stupid! I've missed you for so long; you don't know what it was like being away from my little sister not to mention my mom. I missed you both so much it hurt. Then we found out she'd died, and dad wanted you to come back and live with us, but you had been given to Brian in mom's will, and loads of his solicitors told dad that there was no way he was going to get you back. That was one of the worst days of my life.' He stared up at the ceiling, trying to suppress the emotion that he didn't want me to see.

'_One _of the worst.'

'2 weeks yesterday was the official worst day of my life. I mean I'd only just got you back and then I thought you were going to die! It wasn't nice Bella.'

I never said anything more, I just spent the whole afternoon getting to know Emmett better; even in that one little insight I felt I knew much more about him. But now that I'm going to move in with him, I'm sure I can get to know the burly brother that I used to adore better.

*

'So, what do you think?' Emmett released his hand which was covering my face, and I looked into my new bedroom. It was just like the one in Brian's house, except this one had lots of photographs. Me and Emmett when we were little, mom and dad, me and mom, me and dad, Emmett and dad, Emmett and mom. It was like a gothic shrine to the once whole family, yet one was a spy, one was definitely hiding something, one was dead and the other was clueless as to the others predicaments.

'It's great thanks Emmett!' I gave him a big hug, and then he left me to get changed and to unpack my hospital bag. I had persuaded Carlisle to let me out as soon as possible.

I had come to the conclusion that Emmett was hiding something last night, when he hurriedly left the hospital. It was at the same time a woman came in, heavily bleeding from her head. It seemed as though he held his breath, and then ran out of the hospital, making sure he was as far away from the woman as possible. I didn't bother asking Emmett about it a) because he would just deny it and/or make up a pathetic excuse, and b) I wanted to figure this one out for myself.

Charlie was oblivious of course, he just casually asked me where Emmett had gone, and when I told him how strange he acted, he just said.

'Emmett's a strange boy' and led me to the car! I mean what good is that, I already know he's a strange boy!

I shook my head to dispel the thoughts, and then ran downstairs and into the kitchen, where Emmett and dad were waiting for me.

'Hungry Bella?' dad turned around as I nodded and began fiddling with something I front of him. I hoped he wasn't trying to cook, my mom had told me plenty of stories about his attempts. Emmett grinned and winked at me, obviously thinking along the same lines as me; but when dad turned round there was a pizza an a cake behind him, both with things on it that spelt out "welcome home".

'Thanks dad!' I had never felt this welcome anywhere, and the fact that my family wanted me back after 11 years of living away made me feel happier than I had ever been.

'Sit down and eat, Jesus you're so skinny!' dad said, whilst Emmett's laughter shook the entire house.

'Okay okay funny boy, aren't you eating?' I looked towards Emmett. Me and dad had already stared eating, but he made no move to grab anything.

'Nah I already ate. Anyway I'm off to Rose's, I was gonna take you Al, but you need some sleep.' He grinned at me one last time, and then he was gone. I turned towards Charlie; surely he had noticed something was off this time? His head was titled to one side, like he was trying to remember something, but he just shook his head and went back to his pizza.

'I don't remember him going to get something to eat.' I looked at dad full of accusation – he was going to tell me something worthwhile this time.

He sighed and put down his pizza 'neither did I, anyway as soon as you're done you should go straight to bed, you heard what Carlisle said.' I sat there in a daze, if there was something going on with Emmett; I'm sure as hell going to find out about it.


	5. Secrets

I sat bolt upright with my gun in my hand as I heard a large crash coming from downstairs; I sat there for a moment trying to figure out if I needed to go down there and blow somebody's head off. But a string of profanities coming from the kitchen told me that it wasn't necessary. Smiling a little to myself, I dropped the gun back into my bag and leant back against the pillows.

'Dammit Charlie!' the clock read 9:12pm, a time when I should be fast asleep, thanks to Carlisle warning my dad that I needed plenty of rest. But thanks to my clumsy father I am now laid in bed with no chance of going back to sleep.

Clumsily I climbed out of bed and grabbed the first clothes I laid eyes on – incidentally my Linkin park hoodie, a plain white t-shirt and midnight blue jeans – I moved very slowly and awkwardly, sleepiness did not agree with me.

Still cursing Charlie under my breath, I headed downstairs and into the kitchen, where he was just cleaning up the remains of a large mixing dish.

'Oh hello sweetheart, did I wake you up?' do not scream yes, do not scream yes.

'Yeah, but that's okay I have a few things to finish.' I sank into the nearest chair and waited for him to finish; once he had he joined me at the tiny kitchen table.

'Where's Emmett, he's not still out is he?'

'Oh yeah, he headed off to the Cullen's house a while ago, he told me tell you that he wants you to go there as soon as possible.' So Emmett wanted me to join him at the Cullen house? This should be interesting... 'He left instructions on the side'

'Right' I didn't need any instructions to get to the Cullen house, little did he know that I've been there before. 'Uhmm dad, have you noticed how weird Emmett acts sometimes? I mean, how long has he been acting like that?'

Charlie's face suddenly went into deep concentration mode, and it took all of my willpower to stop me from bursting out laughing, as that was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

'A few months ago, he had a bit of an accident up in the mountains; he's never been quite the same since. In fact he wasn't even living with me up until a few weeks ago; I thought he and Rosalie had split up, but he came home saying that he wanted to live with me again, so of course I let him move straight back in.' accident? Mountains? This was getting stranger and much more frightening by the minute.

'Well I have a night shift, so I'll see you later.' He stood up and began walking towards the front door, only to turn back around to me at the last minute. 'Oh and Bella, it really is good to have you back' he blushed and left the house before I had a chance to say anything back. But that was Charlie all over, afraid to admit his true feelings, even if stops things like, oh I don't know divorce perhaps?

After about 10 minutes of thinking I decided that the last place I wanted to go was the Cullen house, especially when I felt so guilty about Edwards's gentlemanly behavior towards me when I was such a bitch. Instead I headed into the living room and began thinking about Emmett. If he had been in an accident, was it possible that he sustained major damage? I mean I always knew my brother had mental issues, but being in an accident and not recovering properly would actually make a lot of sense. Well for most things anyway...

What I couldn't explain were the eyes. Unless they were all wearing contacts – which I doubted – they all had the same amber coloured eyes; the way that I never once saw them eat anything, and that they all were very beautiful, in Emmett's case handsome, but nevertheless stunning looks.

I shook my head, trying to get the thoughts out of my mind. Who cares if he's not normal? I mean he's still my brother. I lay very still on the couch, just staring up at the ceiling. The accident had given me a shock, proving that I wasn't as good as I thought I was. But what confused me the most was my last memory, which was the sound of breaking glass. This was after we had crashed, and I was lying with my head on the steering wheel. It couldn't have been the paramedics, because I would've heard voices, or sirens. Was it possible that there was someone else there, someone who had pulled me from the car and called the ambulance for me?

I was just getting deep into thought when the front door flew open. Dammit, my gun was upstairs! I ran to the door to see that it was Emmett and the Cullen's all laughing, as he led them into the house. I groaned internally and sat back on the coach – I had been hoping to avoid Edward today, and was not ready to face him yet. Yes, I was a coward through and through.

'Hey little sister, didn't you get my note? I wanted you to come and meet me down at Rose's house.'

'Obviously not Em' I laid back on the coach again, closing my eyes as they all came in.

'I think she needs to rest guys, maybe we should leave her alone.' For once I was glad that Edward was here and doing his usual routine of sticking up for me. I hadn't the energy to be with my over-active brother and my new friends.

'No that's okay I'm fine' what the hell am I saying? 'I can get some sleep later' it's official, I need mental help. 'Emmett can I speak to you for a moment?'

He nodded his head and followed me into the kitchen – where he was probably going to give me some pathetic excuse.

'Emmett are you alright? I mean you've been acting pretty weird since I got here, and then this morning dad told me what happened to you...' I never got to finish, as he was shaking his head back and forth with a huge grin on his face, like I had just told him that aliens had taken over the planet.

'Look, yeah I did have an accident, but that was ages ago. And I have no idea what you mean by weird, I'm still your brother, and I'm still Emmett Swan.' He spoke slowly, like he was trying to talk to a 3-year old, but I wasn't fooled.

'Do you think I'm stupid Em?'

'Well...' he started laughing, and I felt the same anger I felt the other day when I had screamed at him. It took all of my willpower to stop me from doing that again. He must have seen though, because he stopped laughing.

'Charlie has always been a little old woman, but look at me Bella, I'm just the same as I always have been, trust me.'

He rumpled my hair and left the kitchen, leaving me reeling in the middle of the room. Not only had he refrained from telling me what had happened to him, he was now lying once more. But I didn't dare bring it up again in case he got angry with me.

I was about to go back into the living room when I heard voices coming from the hallway next to me, I crouched next to the door so that no-one in either the living room or the hallway could see me.

'Look, I'm all for telling her, but I guess it's your choice overall Emmett.' Edward had his back to me, but I knew that his face would be as impassive as it had been since I rejected him. The memory made a sharp pang in my stomach. Even his voice sounded a little bleaker; I'm such a goddamn awful person.

'I don't know, I mean I have no idea how she will react' even though I couldn't see him either, I knew he would be biting his lip right now. Great, so not only was I a terrible friend, I was a terrible sister too.

'She'll come around to it, but you can't know for sure until you actually tell her. Anyway, surely her accident showed you that you can't go keeping huge secrets like this.'

'I did think about it, but I've only just got her back, I don't want to drive her away with telling her about this.'

'I can't force you Emmett, but if I get closer to her, I'm going to tell her myself you know.'

'Yeah well you didn't do a very good job at it the other day.' Emmett's voice suddenly became very harsh, and I had the sudden urge to hit him for what he was saying to Edward. Sure enough he winced at what he was saying to him, and I knew that Edward deserved so much better than me.

'Sorry, but I'm looking out for her here. Do you honestly think that she would want to go out with you if she knew? No of course she wouldn't she'd run a mile from both of us! This is why we have to keep quiet, at least for a while.'

I silently begged Edward to disagree, to come and tell me the big secret that they reckoned I wouldn't be able to handle. But, to my disappointment, he nodded his head and they both went back into the living room.

I sat up slowly, trying to digest what I had just heard, and mainly trying to make a little bit of sense out of it all. They were hiding something that they were sure I would be frightened of, frightened enough to leave them both. But what could be so bad that they could be sure I would hate them both for it?

The doorbell rang, making me jump about a mile into the air. I stalked off to get it, as the others were all deep in discussion in the living room; no prizes for guessing what they were talking about.

I opened the front door with some difficulty, as the lock was stiff and my arm was still quite sore. But, standing there on my front porch without a care in the world was my soccer buddy Jacob. No idea what he was at my house for, but I was still really glad he was there.

'Hey Bella, me and the guys were headed down to the beach, do you want to come with us?' on the one hand I really wanted to go and be reckless down at the beach, but on the other hand I really wanted to find out my brothers secret... Oh well, I'll have plenty of time to figure that out!

'Sure, lemme just go tell my brother.' I left Jacob on the doorstep and ran into the living room, where the others were all giving me funny looks. 'I'm going out Emmett, be back later okay?' he gave a surly grunt which I presumed meant okay, then I ran back into the hallway to grab my converses.

'You ready?'

'Yepp, lets get outta here.'

He took my hand and led me out of the door and down the street. From what Charlie had told me, it was only a few minutes walk down to La Push and to First beach, where the sand and stones were supposed to be the absolute best.

'So where are we meeting the others?'

'Down at the beach, they're making up tents and that cos we're sleeping out there tonight. You're welcome to join us if you want.' He smiled down at me hopefully; I just couldn't resist that infectious grin.

'Maybe, but I doubt Charlie would be happy if I rang him up saying that I'm sleeping on a beach with a load of teenage boys.' I laughed loudly at this; my dad was such a stiff.

'He'll let you, him and my dad are best mates; did you know he's my godfather?'

'Really, so like me and you could be counted as family?'

'Sure. Yeah, we could be cousins!'

'Woohoo!'

I was really glad that me and Jacob could be counted as family, this way I could hang around with him and not think that this was a real insult to Edward. Stop; don't think about him, you're not supposed to be thinking about him.

'So Bella, how are you feeling – thought I'd just get that out of the way so we can have some fun.'

'Uhh I'm okay I guess, I just can't believe it was my step-mom who crashed into me.'

'Yeah we were all pretty shocked when we found out. Lucky that you have Charlie to take you in eh?'

'And Emmett as well, I mean you could tell he was really excited that I was moving in with them; of course he wouldn't say anything...'

Jacob suddenly looked really angry for apparently no reason whatsoever, I hoped it wasn't about Emmett; if it was a choice between him and my brother, then Emmett would win easily.

'What is it Jacob?'

'I told you, me and my friends don't get along with the Cullen's – which include your brother.'

'But why? I mean he's a pretty great guy once you get to know him, you should at least try that before you decide you hate him.' But Jacob was shaking his head before I had even finished; to make it worse I never even got a chance to finish our conversation, as we had arrived at the beach and the others were shouting to us.

'Soccer girl, glad you could make it!' Quil bounded over and lifted me off my feet in a bear hug – next to Jacob; he was my favourite out of the gang. I don't mean to sound offensive or anything, but he kinda reminds me of some big furry animal – Emmett being the bear – and he was great fun to hang around with.

He pulled me over to a group of logs that were surrounding a very inviting fire; all around it were tents, which I assumed held two people. Jared, Sam, Embry and Paul were already sat around, obviously waiting for Jacob to get back with me.

'Hey soccer girl' Sam gave me a high-five as I sat down, and the others all cheered and high-fived Jacob.

'What?' I asked. They looked like they were congratulating him.

'We doubted that your brother would let you come out with us. We're glad that Jacob managed to get you outta there.' They started with a load of high-fives again, and I hadn't the energy to argue.

'You okay Bella? You look really tired.' Trust Jacob to recognize that I'm not looking my best. Maybe that's why I like him; he doesn't seem to want me for _those _sorts of reasons.

'Yeah, I've just been really worn out since I got back from the hospital ...'

'Bless, well do you want to watch us play soccer, or do you think you can join in?'

'I might play in a bit. Hey how cold's that water?'

'It's just right Bella, why?' Jared looked up as Sam spoke, and flashed an evil grin in Paul's direction.

'I might go-'

I was cut off by an ear-splitting scream that came from my own mouth. Jared and Paul had grabbed me from behind and were now carrying me off towards the ocean.

'No! Jared, Paul put me down!' I screamed and thrashed, but instead of putting me down they just laughed harder. I knew it was a laugh, but they were so going to pay if they did anything to me. One last scream and I was thrown into the icy water. I heard muffled laughs, but the water rushed in my ears, and I was temporarily blind. I heard Jacob's faint voice when I didn't come up, but decided that I had to get my own back on Jared and Paul. I swam over to where they were stood, and yanked their ankles so that they fell into the water with me. I came to the surface laughing my head off, as Jared and Paul cursed me in the water.

'Nice one Bella! Come on guys, surely you saw that one coming?' Jacob came into the water and pulled me up and walked me back to the sand.

'How were we supposed to know? I mean she's so little.' Jared protested.

'Yeah Jake, and anyway you thought she'd hit her head "should we check to see if she's okay?" you're like a little old woman Jake!' Jacob turned a brilliant shade of red, and Jared and Paul ran off cackling to themselves; occasionally shouting things back like "unlucky" and "bad luck Jake!" I beckoned for him to follow me, and set off walking down the beautiful crescent beach.

'So has Forks grown on you yet, you seemed pretty bummed when you spoke to me about a few weeks ago?'

'Yeah it's getting better, mainly because I'm with my family now. But I can't say I like the circumstances which led to that happening.' I frowned a little, if Caroline hadn't been fucking stupid enough to get drunk, maybe I would be back in New York right now...

'That's great Bella, but I've got something to tell you. You won't like it, but you really need to know this, so that you have a fighting chance. I mean there's only so much I can help you...'

'Jake what is it?' his face grew torn with pain, and the light seemed to have gone from his eyes. This was no the happy Jacob that I knew.

'Emmett is dangerous Bella.'

'What?!' impossible, there was nothing dangerous about Emmett! Unless... unless he was referring to the secret that Edward had been wanting to tell me, the one that they thought would scare me and send me away from them for good.

'Look, I'm forbidden to speak about it, but basically hanging with the Cullen's is going to end very badly for you. I'll help you if you need me, but I seriously can't get involved with them; it's much too dangerous.'

'Edward is not dangerous!' I held my breath. I had said Edward. I was sticking up for Edward, not my brother. What the hell am I thinking?! 'And Alice, you honestly expect me to believe that that 110 pound, 5 foot pixie girl is going to put me in danger.' I couldn't help it, a massive grin spread across my face, and there was no removing it. If Jacob honestly wanted me to believe that Alice was a threat to me then he was living in a very strange dream-world.

'You'd be surprised Bella; you see the Cullen's have a very unpleasant reputation here on the reservation, and we only go to school in Forks so that we can keep an eye on them. Trust me; you wouldn't be living with them if you knew.'

'Know what?! Alright I'm sick of everyone talking about this great big secret that my brother and his friends have! If there's something off about them, why don't you just tell me what it is?!'

'I can't, we're not aloud to talk about it.'

I threw my hands in the air in frustration; no-one seemed to be able to talk about it!'

'Until you tell me Jacob I am gonna keep living with him, besides I doubt it's that bad.'

He shook his head and started to say something, but I was already on my way back to the others. If the Cullen's were hiding something, then they would tell me if I got to know them properly. Of course, all I have to do is show them that I can be trusted, them they'll tell me whatever it is they're hiding! Oh my God what is wrong with me? I'm trying so hard to find out what my brother is hiding, but I'll bet they're hiding it for a reason. Just forget about it, if they don't trust you, they don't trust you.

This made me hurt a little, the fact that not even Edward would trust me when he's already keeping one of my secrets!

'Ooh soccer girl is mad!' Embry called to me as I strode back over to the group, Jacob trailing along miserably behind me.

'I reckon we should tell her some scary stories, what do you think?' said Quil, but Sam looked at him disapprovingly.

'Quil...'

'Yeah I know, but we can tell her a few can't we?' everyone looked to Sam expectantly; I was the only one without a clue as to what was going on.

'Okay, but I will tell the story so that we know when to stop.' Quil grabbed me from behind and sat me between him and Jared; both of them put their arms around me. I was surprised at how warm they both were, especially since Jared had just been in the icy water.

'Are you listening Bella? Okay, well our tribe is supposedly descended from the great wolf, which stands as a protector and guardian for the Quileute lands. They were wolves that turned into men – your people would call the werewolves.' I breathed in sharply, much to Quil's amusement. The Quileute's were supposed to have descended from werewolves?! 'The wolf acted as a protector against its only enemy, the cold ones.' Everyone growled at that, and I took it to mean some sort of enemy tribe or some crap like that. 'Anyway, 50 years ago, our great-grandfathers found them hunting on our lands, but they claimed to be something different, so we made a treaty with them. If they never came onto Quileute lands then we wouldn't expose what they really were, to the pale faces.' Everyone turned to grin at me.

'So ... what are the cold ones?'

'I can't tell you, as we are bound by treaty as much as they are.'

'They?'

'Once again, I cannot tell you.'

Everyone had grown silent, all staring into the fire that was in the centre of our group. The story made little sense to me, apart from the fact that they were enemies. The only enemies that I could think they had were... no, but that's impossible, Jacob is practically family...

'You tell some good stories Sam, seriously I felt Goosebumps at that.'

'Thanks, you should watch yourself Bella; the cold ones are closer than you think.' I didn't say anything back, I simply nodded at him. Sam had confirmed my suspicions, that he and his friends were the enemies of my brother and the Cullen's; but why?

'I think Bella should go to sleep, I think she's gonna pass out.'

'Shut it Quil.' Everyone laughed, but I leant against him and closed my eyes, whilst his hands became tight against my waist. I couldn't believe how warm he was, but I wasn't gonna complain; I was very comfortable.

If there is something going on with Emmett, then I am going to help him, like a good sister should. But if it gets me killed in the process, I can't say that I object to that.


	6. Complications

'I can't wait to get my car back, your driving is terrible.' I said, whilst Emmett laughed loudly, shaking the entire car as we made our way to school. 'Seriously who the hell told you, you could drive?'

'At least I'm not grounded for staying out all night' he stuck his tongue out at me – he knew that he had won.

Charlie had not been best pleased when I staggered in at 9 0 clock the following morning after the camp-out on the beach. I tried to explain to him that I had been with Jacob and his friends, but somehow this made it all worse. In short, I have been grounded for two weeks, maybe more if I behave badly in school or some shit like that.

We pulled up into the student lot, where the Cullen's were all stood around the Volvo waiting for us. Edward opened my door before I even realized we had stopped.

'Betcha wish you had your car back huh?' he asked, grabbing my bag from the trunk.

'Yeah, Emmett's driving is absolutely terrible.'

'Hey!' everyone laughed as he lunged for me, but I was much too quick, he almost rammed into the Volvo, but Rosalie grabbed him from behind.

'Come on brother dearest, don't want to be late for class do we?' he grumbled a response and went for my head again, with me ducking just in time. Still grumbling, he led us up to school, where Jacob was waiting for me outside.

I heard Edward snarl from next to me, put paid scarce attention; all I could see was the angry look on Jacobs face.

'Go into school, I'll meet you in a minute' Edward gave me the impression that he didn't want to leave, but nevertheless headed into school. Jacob never said anything; he just looked at me in anger and disbelief.

'I warned you against your brother, and yet you continue to ignore me.'

'Yeah you did, and I also told you that I wouldn't abandon him until you told me exactly what's going on with you and him.'

'I told you I can't' yeah, what a big surprise. Bet you would love me to leave him for you wouldn't you? But I'm not going to listen. Idiot boy.

'Yeah I know "you're bound by treaty", but you can't get mad with me Jacob, I have no clue as to what's going on, but I trust my brother, and if he doesn't want to tell me then I respect that.'

'Yeah well, I actually came to tell you that you can't be friends with us whilst you're with them.'

'What?!'

'Sorry Bella, but we can't tolerate them. If you change your mind about your brother, I'll be waiting for you. But until then, I won't be seeing you.'

He walked off, leaving me stumped in front of the main entrance. How dare he?! How dare he try and make me choose between him and the Cullen's?! He has the biggest ego I have ever seen in a boy, and there's no way I'm going to succumb to him and his pitiful demands.

Still fuming, I went into school, where the others were all waiting for me; all with anxious expressions on their faces. I decided to ignore them – no way was I going to pick sides on a battle that wasn't mine to fight. Instead of going to where they were stood, I headed straight to my first lesson which was English. But as I sat down, and tried to concentrate on the board, I felt a pang of irony. I had been adamant that this town was going to be totally crap; yet I had been in a car crash, a coma and a tribal feud, all in the space of four weeks!

My morning lessons passed extremely quickly, without me taking in any information. As I headed for my last lesson before lunch, I remembered Jessica Stanley, and how good she was at telling me the information I needed to know. Maybe she would have some insight as to why the Quileute's and the Cullen's seemed to hate each other.

My luck held, as when I entered my algebra class Jessica was already sat at her seat. I noticed the change in her already. Her hair had been layered properly and straightened; she had make-up on, and she was wearing clothes that were more stylish and low-cut.

'Look at you eh?' I laughed as I took my seat.

'Oh yeah, me and the girls decided that we wouldn't make ourselves look bad anymore; besides, Aiden has really gone off the girls since Edward, Jasper and Emmett got to them.' I was glad at this; at least some good had come off Aiden trying to kiss me.

'Look Jess, I need some answers. Why do the Cullen's and the guys from the reservation hate each other? I mean none of them will tell me why.'

'I don't know, but I will tell you one thing. Jacob and Emmett used to be best friends before the Cullen's came along. But then he had an accident up in the mountains, and he came back changed. I mean one day he was all best buds with Jake, then he sorta disappeared for a while; when he came back, he was holding hands with Rosalie and being best mates with the others. He never spoke to Jacob after that, but I doubt they hate each other just because Emmett decided he'd rather be their friend.' She stopped to write down whatever was on the board, and gestured for me to do the same.

She was right though; Jacob wouldn't start calling them his enemies just because they took his best friend away. No, there was something seriously weird going on here and I had already made my vow to find out what it was.

The bell rang as loud as ever, and I felt myself jump whilst Jess giggled at me.

'Hey Jess, can I sit with you this lunch? It's just that I don't want to get in the middle of what's going on with Jake and Em'

'Of course, yeah sure we'd like that!' I vaguely wondered who "we" was, but then decided I didn't care. If Emmett and Jake are going to babies, then I'm going to sit with my other friend.

We entered the cafeteria, and Jess led me over to one of the most crowded tables.

'Bella, this Mike Newton, Angela Weber, Ben Cheney, Lauren Mallory, Tyler Crawley and Timmy and Tommy Smith. Guys this is Bella Swan.'

'Hey' I smiled at everyone on the table, who, thankfully all said hi back to me and welcomed me to Forks.

'So Jess tells us you're from New York, is that right?' Jess had sat me between her and Mike Newton, who seemed friendly enough. He was one of those California types – blonde hair, great tan, and an accent.

'Yepp, the best city on Earth.' I made a rock-on sign, which they all laughed at 'lemme guess, you're not from here – I'm guessing California?'

'Well done, I moved here about 6 months ago, so I know exactly how you feel.' I laughed at him, but never said why; he was living in a dream-world if he thought he knew how I felt right now.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Cullen's and my brother coming into the cafeteria; they all looked shocked and began talking in frustrated whispers when they saw what I was doing. No surprise that they sent Alice over to get me.

'Hey Alice, do you know Jessica?' Jessica looked extremely embarrassed, and did not look Alice in the face.

'Sorry we're late, but you can come and sit with us now!' she smiled at the others, but I knew that she was wondering why I was sitting with a group of people she defined as "losers".

'That's okay Alice; I'd rather sit with these guys. Besides' I added in a whisper that only she could hear 'these guys aren't making me choose who I should be friends with.' She looked shocked by what I said, but nevertheless left to go and sit with the others, whilst everyone on my table looked at me in awe.

'You'd rather sit with us than _them_?!' Angela asked me incredulously. I felt awful; they obviously thought they weren't god enough to be sat with, especially if you could be sitting with the coolest people in school anyway.

'Sure, I mean-'

'Do you mind if we sit here?' I never got to finish what I was saying, as a familiar wind-chime voice came from behind me. But even if I hadn't heard her, everyone's faces would have told me who it was anyway. As I turned around, I saw Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Edward all stood with their lunch trays behind me, waiting for my answer.

'Mike, do you mind?'

'N-No, they can sit here.'

Alice and Jasper went down at the far end, talking to Tyler, Lauren and the twins about some of the teachers; Emmett and Rosalie sat with Ben and Angela, talking about soccer and the upcoming pro m; Edward sat next to me, and began talking with Mike about their next soccer match. Jessica moved closer to me, and began speaking in an awed voice.

'Oh my God, they must like you! I mean sitting with _us _so that they could be with you is pretty nice of them.'

'Don't underrate yourself Jess, you're a really nice person, and if people haven't noticed that yet then it's their loss isn't it?' she looked at me full of admiration and thanks, which made me feel a little more uplifted.

'Bella, Jess, you two are coming to watch us in the next soccer match right?' Edward asked, using his truly irresistible voice that is very hard to say no to. Probably what he was hoping.

'Yes' Jess squeaked turning to Alice, who had just begun asking her what stores she went to.

'Sure, but I had no idea you two played soccer.'

'Oh yeah' Mike said quickly, before turning to Emmett who had just begun asking him about cars or something.

'I do, I'm captain of the boy's soccer team' Edward said kind of smug-like, I felt he was showing off just a little.

'Yeah well I'm supposed to be playing in that championship, but I'm not on speaking terms with the rest of the team.' I frowned a little, would I be playing soccer with them after this?'

'They'll come around; they'll realize that they simply can't win without you.' He winked at me, and I felt very hot and embarrassed.

'Why are you sat here Edward, and don't lie to me.'

'We wanted to sit with you; you might not be choosing sides, but we missed having you around. That night you went to the beach was incredibly long and pointless without you. Anyway, we were gonna go looking for you when it got to midnight, but that Billy called Charlie and told us what you were up to. We couldn't believe it; they were going to take you away from us!'

'I don't belong to you Edward.' I said quietly, watching as his face fall ever so slightly. When would he get it that I was no good for him? But even though it was in his best interests for him to date another girl, it hurt me so much to think of him holding another girl in his arms. To know that he would be with someone else, even when I needed him the most...

'Bella are you okay honey?' he lifted me face up to look at him properly; I quickly composed my face into a fake mask of calm, and gave him what I hoped was a dazzling smile. It worked, as I heard his breath intake.

'I'm fine. Anyway don't you think we should be getting to biology?' he nodded at me once, so I stood up, said goodbye to everyone at the table, and made my way out of the cafeteria with Edward close by my side.

We sat at the same work bench in biology again, but at least this time I wasn't emotionally unstable. I found that Edward was exceptionally good at science, doing the lab work in an amazingly short time, and filling out the table without much help from me. He kept looking down and smiling at me, which I returned, but not in a way which would give false hope that he was going to win me over.

'Edward, why do you hate Jacob so much?' I couldn't help it, it just slipped out. I mentally cringed as he first looked confused, then scared, then plain angry.

'We don't hate him, we just don't get along. And if he made you choose between us Bella, what kind of person does that make you think he is?' selfish, arrogant and greedy sprang to mind, but of course I wasn't going to say this to Edward.

'It doesn't matter, I think you guys have made my decision for me – not that I object, it makes things a whole lot easier.' I sighed and began copying out the table that Edward had written out. When I looked up, he was staring at me in a mixture of confusion and pain.

'What is it?'

'Nothing Bella, it's just that you have such a hard life, yet no-one seems to be helping you with it.' He looked at me meaningfully, and I knew exactly what he was insinuating.

'Quitting my job wouldn't help me, so don't even suggest it.'

'No I wasn't but,' he whispered so low that I had to lean closer to hear him properly – not that I'm complaining. 'I still don't understand, I mean you broke into that place, but I have no clues as to why you did it.'

I wasn't exactly looking forward to telling people what I do, least of all Emmett; I was nowhere near ready yet, so Edward would have to wait, at least for now.

'Give me time Edward.' He gave me a stiff nod, and for one insane moment I felt like spilling everything to him. But then I remembered he wasn't exactly being honest with me himself...

'What have you got next?' he asked, just as the bell rang its usual loud shriek.

'Gym, with Jacob.' I suppressed the urge to groan 'guess I'm just gonna have to grit my teeth and bear it right?'

He gave me one reassuring smile before I turned away from him and made my way to the gym. I knew Jacob and his mates still wouldn't be talking to me, so I would just stick with Jessica instead. He can go right to hell, and his mates can go along with him.

As I suspected, as soon as I had got changed and entered the gum, Jacob turned his back on me and started muttering to Embry. Sam looked my way, so I gave him a dirty look and headed over to where Jessica and Mike were stood.

'Hey Bella, aren't you usually on a team with the guys from the reservation?' Mike asked, nodding his head towards the group of boys in the far corner. I made no attempt to turn around.

'Yeah but they're being pathetic, so I thought I'd come and join you guys.'

'That's cool. So have you found out why yet Bella?' Jessica gave me a meaningful look, obviously not wanting to tell Mike what I had asked her. He simply stared at us with a confused look on his childish face.

'Nope, but I've decided I don't care. I can't be with both apparently, and today at lunch proves that my decision has been made for me.' This made Mike look even more confused, whilst Jessica nodded her head in recognition.

Playing on a team with Jessica and Mike was fun. They joined up with a few other people, some I recognized from lunch, and we played together. They were far from competitive, and laughed repeatedly when the other team scored. I got numerous high-fives from Mike after scoring 4 out of the 5 goals we got on one game.

After gym, Jessica came with me into the changing rooms, where she began telling me about her latest crush.

'He's so cute, and the way he looks at me! Oh he's just- ahh!'

'It's Mike isn't it?'

'What?!'

'You fancy Mike Newton! Oh my god, this is big, can I tell him?' it wasn't big at all, but watching her face being twisted with horror was funny as fuck.

'You better fucking not!'

'Don't worry I wont, it was just a joke. So what are you gonna do about it?'

'Do about it? I'm not going to do anything! He only likes me as a friend, and I don't want to lose that by telling him that I like him _that _way.' She was utterly stupid. I mean her and Mike were like best friends, yet she wouldn't tell him how she felt about him? High school dramas were much too trivial for me.

'Oh come on Jess! I've seen the way he looks at you; that boy likes you more than a friend, trust me.' She looked at me incredulously, and looked as though she was about to argue when we interrupted.

'Bella Swan?' a small, dark haired girl came skipping into the changing rooms, holding a pair of keys in her left hand. 'Jacob Black told me to give these to you; your car is back in the parking lot, someone's just dropped it off.'

'Thanks a lot' I said, taking the keys from her. Sure enough, there were the familiar charms that I had put on, to stop them getting confused with anyone else's when they were put into the safe at work.

Jessica and I went out of the back entrance to the locker rooms, and headed out into the parking lot. After a quick goodbye she headed off to her car, whilst I went to find mine.

It was parked at the very end of the lot, nearest to the exit. I couldn't remember how much gas was left in, and wondered idly if I would have to stop for some. I climbed in and looked at the steering wheel, where, little more than 3 weeks ago my head had been laid, bleeding heavily. I peered around, trying to see if anything was out of place, any clue that would lead me as to why the glass had shattered so long after the crash had actually occurred. Nothing was though, and I had to go back to Emmett's completely irrational theory that I had simply imagined it, or it was the paramedics, and I passed out before I had heard them. Both were as unlikely as the other, but with no other leads or evidence, I grudgingly had to admit that this must have been true.

I had seen the wreckage of the other car – Caroline's car. Hers had definitely been in a worse shape, as mine had been altered to withstand more damage. I suppressed a shudder at the memory, for I had definitely seen something mangled and bloody through her smashed windshield the night of the crash...

I shuddered again and went into the glove compartment, wanting to put away some CDs I had claimed from Emmett's monster jeep. It was then that I saw a small piece of paper, neatly folded and stowed on the inside of the compartment door. Only two words were written on it.

Watch yourself

I stared at the two words for what felt like hours, yet I knew instantly who had written it. Jacob was giving me a warning, even though he had told me that we could not be friends, and that he would not be with me until I left Emmett and the Cullen's for good, he was still trying to protect me. I didn't know what to feel, so I just shut it away and began to think, like I had done before the crash that changed a lot of things.

No way was I just going to leave my friends without any explanation, and I knew that if I wanted to know the truth then I was just going to have to stick to my beliefs. For the second time, I drove away from the school, immersed in my thoughts. Hopefully his time wouldn't be so consequential


	7. Best Friends Only

'You should just forget about him Al'

'How can I forget, when he keeps walking past me and sticking his nose in the air at every fucking opportunity he gets?!' I was pacing the kitchen, after quickly changing the subject. Dad and Emmett had been wondering why the smoke alarm keeps going off, when there's clearly nothing there. I had been leaning out of my window for a fag at every opportunity I got, as dad would no doubt make me quit when he found out.

'Language Bella.' They want to stop me smoking, they want to stop me swearing, next thing you know they'll be sending me off to be a nun. Oh my God I need a fag.

'Sorry, I'm going upstairs for a while.'

'You're not doing anything to set them off, are you sweetheart?' dad looked me up and down, probably wondering if I had it in me to become a suicide bomber.

'No dad, the thing must be faulty.'

Emmett gave me such a look that made me wonder whether he knew it was me, but I decided to ignore it and simply run upstairs. Before I entered my bedroom, I replaced the batteries in the smoke alarm with fake ones, so that the alarm wouldn't go off, and if dad checked, he would see "batteries".

I threw the window open and lit up in the same second, too stressed out to care what the long-term health affects were. Brian and Caroline had been cool when it came to things like this. Caroline often gave me fags, and I got drunk more than once when we were celebrating something.

I was about halfway through it when a knock on the door almost made me fall out of the window.

'Just a minute!' I called, frantically trying to wave away the smoke that was still lingering in the room, whilst chucking the fag into one of my unused Prada bags. Changing plans, I ran to the door and threw it open, but making sure I was blocking all views into my room.

'Alice?' sure enough, there was the little pixie, looking angelic on my threshold. She grinned at me, as she knew how surprised I was.

'Hey Bella, I've come to take you to my house.' I stared at her in shock; since when was I going to her house?

'Uhh okay... give me 5 minutes to get-' I had no chance to finish, as she dragged me from my room; still in the clothes that I had worn yesterday, which I had thrown on in my rush to get downstairs earlier on.

'You look fine as you are. Besides, we're just going to mess around anyway so you don't have to make yourself perfect.'

'Who said I was?' I said a little grumpily. I didn't like being ordered around at the best of times. She frowned a little at my attitude, but carried on half-dragging me down the stairs.

'Emmett help, I'm being kidnapped!' he was no use at all; he simply laughed at me and opened the door for Alice.

I had been putting off going to the Cullen house, and I guess they knew. So this is what it had come to, me getting kidnapped in order to go to a place that I wouldn't really care to be. In truth, I was more scared of Edward. Stupid I know, but he was the only reason I didn't want to go over. Stupid little rich boy.

'Hey, watch it pixie!' Alice had started pushing me into her canary yellow Porsche. Oh dear God they were rich as well as beautiful! How the hell am I supposed to put up with this?! I remember they live in a huge house, kind of like their own castle – King Edward, that sounds about right.

'Please don't struggle, Edward will kill me if I have to knock you out or something. But I can't be held responsible for my actions if you try and attack me or something.' She giggled. I turned the music up on the stereo on full blast, and we both sang and rocked out to "For a pessimist I'm pretty optimistic" by Paramore. Okay, so I'm kinda enjoying myself now, big deal!

'Alice, why today, I mean why have you just suddenly decided that you would kidnap me and take me to your house?'

'Bella, we've wanted you to come over for ages, but there's always been a reason for you not to. We thought that if you didn't come on your own, we would have to take you by force. So that's what's happened.' She gave me an angelic grin, but I wasn't fooled; this girl was more trouble than she was worth.

'I apologize for not making it round when I was in a coma.' Oooh sarcasm much.

'You should!' she laughed 'but everyone has been wondering when you will come over; especially-' I put my hand over her mouth to stop her from saying any more.

'Don't say it'

We pulled into the familiar long drive, and I found myself gulping in fear and anxiety. Hmm, I wonder if it would kill me if I jumped out of the car now…

'Well, what do you think?' I could only nod my head as we pulled outside the familiar white mansion, but it looked so much different in the daytime. The walls were white, and a huge trellis of ivy hung around the whole left side of the house. Next to it was a huge garage, almost as big as the house; gee, not only do they have lots of money and a huge house, they have to top it all off with a whole bunch of cars. I'm starting to like them less and less by the minute.

'Well come on then little sis, are coming inside or what?' Emmett opened my door for me, pulling me out and onto my feet as he did so.

'Jackass.' He simply laughed. I couldn't help but wonder where he got his simple ness from, me, mom and dad seemed to be quite smart, but Emmett… well he was a little simple.

'Come on, everyone's waiting inside.' Alice took me by the hand and led me up the marble steps, which finished at a large, oak door. She walked in, and, much to my embarrassment, everyone was waiting for us in the hallway.

Emmett went straight over to Rosalie, who of course looked stunning in light blue jeans, a matching denim jacket, and a black laced top and silver heels. She made everyone in the room look at least bad in comparison; she made me look hideous when I stood next to her.

Alice went right over to Jasper, who looked as tall and masculine as the first time I saw him. He wore deep blue jeans, a striped jumper which showed off his perfectly toned muscles and brown converse. He had so much love for Alice that it hurt to look into his eyes.

Carlisle and Esme stood in the far corner by a very large, very grand piano. She was very old-fashioned and lovely; she was wearing a deep purple dress which hung to her in all the right places, with silver high heels which made her as tall as Carlisle's shoulder. He wore a high necked blue shirt, with black trousers.

The one person I was anxious to see stood closest to me; he wore an old pair of blue jeans, the mans version of my Paramore top, and his black converse. He gave me a sly wink when he saw me looking.

'Hello Bella; oh it's so good to see that you've recovered!' Esme walked over and gave me a quick hug before assessing me. 'My goodness you're so thin! Come on, I made you something.' I looked around at Edward, who laughed and came with me and Esme into the kitchen.

For the moment I was glad of his presence, he made me feel calm – like a drug. Please no, please say I'm not addicted to Edward Cullen!

'You okay?' he asked, looking at my now pale face.

'Yeah sure.'

'Here we are Bella, anyway I'll leave you two to it.' Esme gave me an encouraging smile before leaving us alone in the kitchen. For a moment I simply looked out of the kitchen window at the forests surrounding the house, whilst Edward looked down at me. But then I turned to face him.

'So who sent Alice to kidnap me?' he laughed nervously and looked away 'Edward?'

'That would be me.' I couldn't help it, I just burst out laughing. 'What?' but there was a huge grin on his face too.

'I'm now being held hostage by the person who stopped me from getting captured in the first place!'

'Oh, yeah I guess I didn't see it like that.' He laughed with me, and headed over to the kitchen side, where he brought something over to me. 'Here, Esme made these for you. She reckons that you are too thin and are in need of some home cooking.' He rolled his eyes at me, which made me laugh even more. I think this was his goal, as he grinned hugely when he saw that he had amused me.

He held out a plate of chocolate chip cookies, but I was still laughing, and I didn't take them in fear of dropping it. Instead, he took one of the plate and started feeding me. I looked up at him strangely – this was something that you did with your boyfriend. But his face was so happy, and I hated it when he looked pained, that I let him carry on feeding me chocolate chip cookies. For a moment, I wished I could read his mind, so that I could know exactly how he felt about me at that moment, and whether this was planned or not…

'Okay no more, I may puke if I have any more cookies!' I laughed

'Yeah please don't! Come on, let's go and find the others, I think they wanted to show you the rest of the house.' He gestured for me to go first. I went in front, and he put his hands on my shoulders, directing me towards the living room.

It was truly beautiful; the floor was a pale cream carpet; the walls were made of a grey stone; on the eastern wall was a huge mirror, which was on top of a huge, old-fashioned fireplace; all over the walls were photographs of the family. It was very classic, like something from a Christmas movie.

'Hey Bella, Edward, do you want us to show you the rest of the house now?' Alice came bounding forwards to meet us, with Jasper in tow.

'I have to do something Alice, but you can take Bella can't you?' Edward said. She nodded, and he went outside, to do what I had no idea.

'Alright then Alice lets go.' She started towards the stairs, but I had another thought 'hey, where's Emmett and Rosalie?' there was no sign of them, yet you can hear my brother from miles away. Mwahhaaa this happens to be something I have inherited from him.

'They're outside; we'll go out there in a bit. So do you want to see the rest of the house? Oh wait, hang on a second.' She turned away from me to look at Jasper; I guessed she must have that determined look on her face, as he seemed to recoil slightly. 'Jasper, go outside with the others, I want to show Bella on my own.'

'Sure' he looked slightly put out, but nevertheless went out into the garden. Now why can't I control men that way?!

'Okay, come on then Bella.' We walked up the elaborate staircase, which by this point, I was surprised it wasn't made out of gold. We walked up one flight of stairs, before she stopped outside a door that matched the one in the hallway.

'This is mine and Jasper's room.' It had a red and blue theme – one that suited Alice very well. Everything was one of the two colours, right down to the clothes that hung off the end of the chair. She led me on to the next few doors, where I saw Esme and Carlisle's room, Emmett and Rosalie's room, and a guest bedroom. All were so large that I wondered how big this house actually was.

'Alice, how many floors does this house actually have?'

'3, but we don't have an attic.' I nodded, and once again found myself being led up a flight of stairs. Everything was in a personal style, and it hurt me to think that these people actually had a place where they belonged. Me, well I hadn't actually found the place I truly belonged yet; but I wasn't sad, I was used to it. Besides, if I didn't have roots anywhere, that means I can travel the world, finding new roots…

'This is Edwards room, what do you think?'

I stepped in, and saw a room with so much style that I envied him. The carpet was a thick gold, and was decorated with silver swirls; he had a huge stereo system, and millions of CDs; there was a huge flat screen in the corner, which looked more expensive than what Charlie had in the main room. With a sudden pang, I realized that he had no bed. What sort of person had no bed in a bedroom?! Sure he had a large leather sofa, but seriously, no bed?!

'Well, what do you think?' she seemed eager, but I could barely take it in after my recent discovery. The fact that they had no beds at all seemed so strange… 'Bella, you okay?'

'Huh? Oh yeah, it's just a really nice house.' I gave her a fake smile, which she seemed to take in, but I noticed that she looked at me more often after that. 'Where we going now?'

'Downstairs, Carlisle and Esme want to watch movies with us, they've been working so much lately…' she sighed and shook her head. In just that sentence, I saw that Alice was actually… well…normal. Just a normal girl who misses her parents when they have to work overtime; maybe I have more in common with her than I thought…

'Okay, sure, but I'm just going outside, I need some fresh air.' She raised her eyebrows at me, but nevertheless let me go outside whilst she headed into the living room where everyone else had assembled.

I had to have a cigarette, seems as though _someone _interrupted me this morning. I went round to the far side of the house, where even anyone looking out of the window wouldn't be able to see me. I had just lit up when I heard the front door slam, and the faint sound of Emmett and Rosalie's voices. Panicking, I ran again, looking over to my shoulder to where the noise had come from. I was so preoccupied with what was behind me, that I didn't notice what was in front. With a muted thud, I ran into someone; someone who caught me securely around the waist. I looked up, with my fag still in my mouth, to see a very shocked Edward Cullen.

His eyes were horror-struck as he saw what I had in my mouth, his hands got a tad firmer, and for a brief second, I thought he was going to rip it from me. I backed away a little, trying to release the tight grip he had on my waist, but part of me didn't want him to let go; part of me wanted him to hold me tighter…to never let go.

'Edward, Edward are you okay?'

'Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Come on, you don't want Emmett seeing you with that, I doubt he'd be very happy, not that I am mind.' He pulled me, his arm still around my waist, into the trees that surrounded his house. We went far enough in so that no-one going past could see or hear us.

'Thanks' I said, taking a long drag and sighing in content. I loved the way it made me feel totally calm and at ease. But Edward did not look so relaxed. In fact, he looked almost terrified. ''sup?'

'Smoking is bad for you Bella, didn't Brian or Caroline ever tell you that?' he frowned in disapproval.

'Caroline gave me fags when I ran out, and Brian let me get drunk and basically do whatever the fuck I wanted. Yeah, they weren't so great at the parenting thing.' I shook my head and started to laugh, but one look at Edwards face made me stop straight away. 'What's up?'

'Smoking kills.' His face was drawn with pain; pain for me; pain that I didn't deserve.

'Relax Edward; I'm not about to keel over!' I laughed 'besides, it's not as though I'm always on the coach eating junk is it? Nope, I'm always out on missions or training or something, so I don't think you really need to worry about me.' I took a long drag on my cigarette as if to prove my point.

'Okay okay, just promise me you'll keep yourself safe in future okay?' his face was so serious, I could do nothing but agree 'thankyou, you don't know what it means, the fact that you are going to actually _try _and keep yourself alive.' He sighed.

Why was Edward so bothered about whether or not I'm alive or not? Sure, he has a crush on me, but that's nothing a pretty blonde girl couldn't fix.

'If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you do?'

'Uhhh well, I'm a spy working for a company called Zeiracorp in Seattle.'

'A spy?!'

'Yepp'

He gazed at me in a mixture of awe and shock, the combination was quite amusing, but I never laughed at him in fear of hurting his feelings. Something I was quite good at by now.

'Okay, so you're a spy. Does that mean you have all the guns and the gadgets?'

'Yepp'

'Does that mean you have to kill people sometimes?'

'Yepp'

'Your very blasé about all this aren't you?'

'Yepp.'

I stood there with my hands on my hips just gazing at him. He did the same, looking like he was assessing my face; he was utterly perfect.

'Edward…' I began

'Yes, what is it?'

'You will keep this a secret wont you? I mean if anyone found out that you knew… well let's just say that that would be very bad for you. I mean, what if they kill you, and it's my entire fault?!' I gave a very audible gasp. What if he did get killed because of me? I don't think I would be able to live with myself; Edward was simply far too good for me.

'Stop, stop! Look, I'm not going to tell anybody anything, and anything you might need you will come to me wont you?' what a freaking weird request

'Uhh yeah sure Edward, whatever you say.' I said, raising one eyebrow.

'I mean it! Whatever you need Bella, come straight to me.' His face was so certain and reassuring that I couldn't doubt him, not even for a second. So, reluctantly, I nodded. 'Good'

'Edward, we can only be friends, you understand that right?'

'I will never understand it Bella; I told you, I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. But… if you're certain.'

'Positive. I'm so sorry Edward.'

'I understand, but could I have one thing, just before you make yourself unavailable to me forever?'

'Of course you can!'

'Thankyou.'

He came closer and gripped me firmly around the waist, gently pulling me close to his chest. His hair brushed the top of my forehead, his nose touched mine, and then he brought his lips to mine. It wasn't like the first one, where we thought we would never see each other again; this kiss was tender and sweet. His lips had the best flavor, and I regretted the decision that I would soon have to make – the decision to stop. His lips moved in sync with mine; they were urgent, and I knew he had no will to stop either. After what seemed like hours, I did. I gently pulled away as I started to get a little dizzy. He rested his forehead against mine and looked deep into my eyes as we both tried to slow down our breathing. He leaned down and kissed me one last time before he let go and stepped away.

'Well, that was one hell of a friendship gift.' I said a little breathlessly.

'I'll miss that Bella; but remember I'll always be waiting if you change your mind.'

'You won't be saying that once you see some Barbie like blonde.' I said darkly, trying to find some way evidence that I would be able to stop myself before I ripped her head from her tiny shoulders.

'In case you haven't noticed, I've been living with a Barbie-like blonde for years, and she hasn't done anything for me.' He laughed 'I'll only ever see you Bella and you'll only be the one for me. Don't say anything; I'll just wait for you in case you change your mind.'

'O…kay?'

'Come on, the others will be wondering where we've got to.' He held his hand out, then remembered what he had just promised, and took it back in again. I smiled a little, and walked next to him back into the big house.

'Best friends?' I asked

'Best friends' he smiled, mussing my hair.


	8. The Visitor

Carlisle and Esme insisted on watching the movies they picked out with us, she was in the middle of arguing with Alice about what they were going to watch when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett and Edward slip out of the room into the hallway. No-one was looking in my direction, so I decided to follow them.

I felt a sense of déjà vu as Edward stood with his back to me, but this time Emmett was doing a lot of quiet arguing. With a sick feeling, I leant in closer to hear better.

'What the hell do you think you're doing? Alice told us what you did, don't you think she's been through enough?!'

'Look, we're just friends now, she made sure of that.' I winced at the same time he did 'besides, she already made it quite clear how she feels.'

'Exactly! But no, you have to hurt her even more by snogging her! You're one of my best mates, but you're not going to hurt my sister, not any more.'

'What do you mean?'

'Why the hell do you think she hasn't been over, at least until Alice dragged her here; on your orders no doubt. And I've heard her crying at night, over you, she thinks that she's being awful to you, when really it's you messing with her mind!'

So I was wrong, I hadn't fooled Emmett, not for a minute. I thought I'd been quiet with the crying, yet he seemed to know about that too; I don't give my brother enough credit.

'Crying?' Edward whispered.

'Yeah, over you! I'm not having it mate, you best stay away from my sister, because I'm not having her hurting anymore because you're desperate to get your leg over!'

Sickened, I went back into the room, I found that I didn't want to listen to anymore. But my face must have given me away, as Jasper came straight up to me.

'Whoa, are you okay, you look a little sick.' He said, directing me to the couch.

'Yeah I'm fine Jasper, just a little confused.' He nodded and sidled away to Alice. But I saw them looking over at me curiously.

I didn't look up when Emmett and Edward got back in the room. I guessed his words had had an effect though, as Edward went to sit by Rosalie, and Emmett came and sat next to me.

I heard the familiar music of the grudge, but paid no attention to it. I sat through half of the movie with my head in my hands, hoping that the ground would open and swallow me, just so I don't have to face Edward after this.

However there was a part of me that was blinded by rage; when Emmett had said that Edward was trying to get his leg over, did he mean it literally? Is Edward Cullen a player, set on using me then dumping me as soon as he's got what he wanted?

I guess that would make sense, as Emmett is going to pretty extreme lengths to protect me; but he would if he knew that I was going to get my heart broken by a player. Again.

'Bella, are you okay?' he must've whispered that to me at least three times during this movie so far, and all I did was nod my head, not wanting to look at him, when the last time I did he had been so angry. I decided now would be the time to look up, as Esme had started whispering to Carlisle about whether or not I was alright.

'Rosalie what the hell is that?!' I screamed, jumping up out of my seat and pointing to her hand. On the 4th finger on her left hand was a huge diamond set in a silver band. Alice paused the movie, and everyone turned to look at me.

'We didn't want to tell you yet, we were going to make a kind of surprise of it. But, Bella, we're getting married, hopefully some time in October.' She said, looking at me like I was an axe-wielding maniac.

'You.' I said, turning to Emmett. '_You _proposed? When?'

'Uhh last week, when we went out to the beach, I did it there.' He looked surprisingly calm, considering I had just screamed at his _fiancée. _

'You just decided to get engaged?' I said, looking at him incredulously.

'No, I've wanted to do it for a while, besides; I didn't realize I needed your permission to get married.' He said coolly.

'I never said you did.'

'You insinuated it, like I need your permission to do everything, but you're just my sister and…' he trailed off, seeing the raging fury that threatened to explode from me.

'Don't act like you know me now Emmett, 'cos you never will. If you want to get married, then go ahead, but don't make me out to be someone I'm not.' I said finally, watching his face crumple, like was about to cry. But that made me feel much better, the fact that now was his turn to feel the hurt that had consumed me.

I stalked out of the house, clutching the key I had stolen from Emmett's pocket. Well, seems so I will be driving his car, I may as well trash it beyond repair. Smirking evilly to myself, I headed towards his monster Jeep, only to find that someone was already there.

'Who the hell are you?' I asked, as the stranger turned around. At first I thought he was a relative of the Cullen's, as he was unnaturally beautiful; but he was in a different way. His hair was black and shoulder-length; he wore old-fashioned clothes, smart black trousers, a black shirt and black cowboy boots. His eyes were the most intriguing, yet the most terrifying; they were blood-red, almost scarlet, yet certainly not normal. To say I felt scared of this man was an understatement.

'My name is Demetri; I am here to see the Cullen's. I can tell you are not a family member, so, quote "who the hell are you?"'. He grinned evilly.

'Bella Swan, a friend. Anyway, they're in the house, why don't you go on up?' I said sarcastically. If he was visiting the Cullen's, why the hell was he stood here talking to me?

'Not without you my dear, now come, we shall go up together.' He said, reaching out to grab my arm, which I neatly dodged.

'No thanks, I was just leaving.'

'But I insist.' He sneered, and his expression was so certain, that I could do nothing but go up to the house with him. The front door was unlocked, so I simply walked in without knocking.

'Oh Bella, I'm glad you came back in, Emmett was very upset-' she froze as she saw the man who was holding my arm so tightly, with no obvious intentions to let go.

'Hello Esme, might we have a chat?' footsteps pounded the hallway, as everyone came running to see who this mans voice belonged to.

'Demetri?' Carlisle asked in disbelief, but his eyes widened when he saw the grip he had on my arm 'let go of her, and we can have a talk in the living room'

'I don't think so, none of your charming boys would dare attack me whilst I have her, and so she stays with me.' Usually I would have made a sarcastic response to that, but his face was so handsomely frightening, that I could do nothing but what he wanted. Edward, Emmett and Jaspers faces were livid, and I could see what he meant by the boys attacking him; they all looked ready to kill.

'No-one will attack you Demetri, you have my word. Now, give Bella to me.' Carlisle held his hand out to me, but Demetri stood as firm as ever.

'The sooner we get this talk over, the sooner you can have this little girl back.' I scoffed at him, and he gave me a grin and a wink back. To say I was confused was an understatement, as everyone followed us into the living room like I was being held hostage with a gun to my head. 'Why don't you sit here, between me and the others young one?' he asked, sitting me exactly as he said, still not letting go of my arm.

'Why are you here Demetri? Surely Volterra never sent you here?' asked Carlisle incredulously.

'Yes, you know Aro has always thought you a close friend Carlisle; so when we heard of this, we absolutely had to let you know.'

'Know what?' asked Alice, her eyes seeming unfocused and glassy, like she wasn't seeing the man she was looking at.

'Do you remember the Filexsi "family" from your stay in Italy?'

'Yes, of course; the son was an evil bastard who tried to kill me, and the father figure was a pompous git who got humiliated by Carlisle.' Said Edward smugly, but his eyes never left mine.

'Yes, well they want revenge over your past crimes, and they're coming here.' Much to Demetri's surprise, Jasper laughed.

'The son is already here, he's acting as the school bully; and the father was killed many years ago.'

'Well, someone from that family is sending people to kill you, and I can assure you, we have been told the correct information by our spies.' My head was spinning more by the minute, what the fuck had the Cullen's gotten themselves into?

'We'll be ready for whatever they send us. Anyway Demetri, how long are you staying?' Esme said coolly.

'Oh I have to leave as soon as I gave the message, you know Jane doesn't like being away from home for too long.' He rolled his eyes and began to get up, pulling me with him. 'If I let her go, do I have your word that you won't attack me?'

'Of course, just let her go for fucks sake!' Emmett shouted, squaring his shoulders. This didn't faze Demetri in the slightest, as he simply grinned and shoved me into Carlisle's waiting arms.

'Goodbye Cullen's and good luck with what's coming. Anyway, what do you intend to do with _that?' _he said, inclining his head in my direction. I gave him the blackest glare I could, which he passed off by stroking my cheek.

'She is one of us.' He said meaningfully.

Demetri nodded, and ran out of the door, pulling his hood over his head as he did so.

'Bella! Oh my God are you okay, he didn't hurt you did he?' Emmett rushed, pulling me from Carlisle's protective arms.

'No I'm fine Emmett, so who the hell was that guy?' I asked, pulling back to better see his expression. Everyone turned to Carlisle, who looked as though he was concentrating on something.

'He is an Italian secret serviceman, and he works for one of my old friends. He is very dangerous though, that's why we panicked when we saw him holding you.'

'But-'

'Bella, I think we'd better go, I'm sure the Cullen's have a lot to talk about, and we don't want to get in their way do we?' Emmett said quickly, moving me towards the door.

'Sure' was all I could say, my mind was full of the confrontation between the Cullen's and this man, plus the fact that they had seemed so scared when they saw that he was holding me.

After a quick goodbye, I was sat in Emmett's jeep on the way back home. I couldn't help but feel that this was all a front, and that Demetri had something to do with the huge secret that Emmett and his friends were hiding.

'Emmett, are you okay?'

'Yeah I'm fine Bella. Hey, do you think mom is watching over us and telling us not to fight? I mean every time we fight something really bad happens, so what if someone is trying to tell us that we shouldn't eh?' he laughed, but I was in no mood to be laughing.

Somehow, I knew that Demetri's visit was only the beginning of things to come.


	9. Vampires

_The wind was howling, and I felt a sickening sense of loss. I ran through the forest, desperately trying to find my way out again, but there was nothing but the blackness. _

_I tried to scream, but I had no voice, and everywhere I ran seemed to be the same. A shining light at the end of a path seemed promising, and I ran towards it as fast as I could go. _

_When I got there, Edward stood with his back to me, holding something close to him, and sobbing uncontrollably. _

_He turned around, and I saw that in his arms was my dead body. He fell to his knees, crying so hard over me. Emmett and Rosalie sat behind him, wearing the traditional wedding outfits, but encrusted with diamonds. Neither of them wept for me, but looked down at us in contempt._

'_Bella no! Please don't be dead, oh God Bella I love you!' Edward cried, trying in vain to make the body come alive, but I simply lay there, my eyes open and glassy, and blood pouring down one side of my face. _

_I ran to Edward and put my hands on his face, trying to show him that I was here, and that I wasn't really dead. But as I looked down, I saw that my hands were transparent, and I was wearing a long, white flowing gown. _

I sat bolt upright in my bed, trying to get my head around what I had just dreamed of. Slumping back onto my pillows, I couldn't help but feel extremely annoyed with myself. I had told myself not to think of him, yet here my subconscious was making vivid mental pictures of him! I was pretty annoyed at dream Emmett; I mean surely he could have shown a little emotion? I'm so gonna have to slap him upside the head when I get downstairs.

He and Charlie were sat around the tiny kitchen table, deep in discussion when I eventually got down there. From the look on Emmett's face, this was something serious; he never got upset or scared about anything.

'Morning sweetheart!' Charlie said, putting on a huge fake smile that didn't convince me for a second 'Emmett do you want to…' he trailed off, as Emmett nodded at him.

'Bella, I need you to come and have a talk with me for a minute, it's kinda serious.' He said, beckoning for me to follow him.

He went into the living, me trailing behind him. I wondered if this was anything to do with what happened yesterday, like maybe that guy had come back to give the Cullen's yet another warning. He sat on the sofa, gesturing for me to do the same.

'Bella… look. That whole…_thing _yesterday, it was pretty serious, as I'm sure you understood.' He began, nervously playing with his fingers.

'You mean the guy that refused to let go of my arm, whilst everyone acted like he was holding a bomb instead of a 120 pound white girl? Yeah I'm familiar with it.'

'Look, his warning applied to me too, I've gotten myself deeply involved with that family, more so than just dating one of the daughters.'

'Are you trying to say that you're in danger from these people?' now way. If Emmett was in danger then he would have the best protection I could offer. But Edward knew this; he knew I could offer him protective and/or weapons, so why didn't he speak to me about it yesterday?

'I'm just in trouble with him that's all. But until the danger is over, you won't be going anywhere alone.' He said firmly.

'What?! Emmett are you crazy?! Even if you do have something to do with these people, it doesn't mean that I have to be locked away does it?!' I shrieked. This boy as in denial if he reckoned he was going to keep me locked away like some kind of prisoner.

'Bella they will use you to get to me!' he bellowed, standing up and running his hands through his hair. I recognized this as something he had picked up from Edward. Edward. Oh God. Was this how he felt when I told him that I could get him killed? Did he feel angry and worthless like I do at this moment? But he wasn't me; he could never know just how deep I had gotten myself, much deeper than some stupid tiff between another family, Romeo and Juliet style.

'You're a fool if you reckon you can keep me locked up Emmett, I've been through more than you can imagine, and I'm perfectly capable of keeping myself same from this…this danger you keep going on about.' I struggled to keep my voice calm.

'I don't care whether or not you reckon you can keep yourself safe Bella, for the meantime you're just going to have to do something that you have never done before – and that is doing as you're told!'

I simply glared at him, too angry for words. He had a look of serious doubt and pain on his face, but for the moment I didn't care – no-one could control me. Period.

'Go upstairs whilst I try and figure this out please.' He whispered, slumping back into the sofa. I stormed upstairs and slammed my door without another word. If Emmett wanted to keep me inside, he damn well would, he always got his own way mainly by force, as he was doing this time.

I got out my laptop, deciding to finish some homework as I had nothing else to do now that I was on house arrest. Who knew Emmett could be so protective, yet so controlling at the same time?

I groaned, as Google was taking a stupidly slow amount of time to load up. When it did, something caught my eye in the top bar, where all the advertisements that I couldn't be bothered to block or delete were. A banner was up which said "Saint Marcus day, Volterra." The name instantly registered in my mind as the name that Carlisle had used, the place where Demetri was from. Clicking on it, I wasn't surprised to see the parade pictures and ancient Volterra history. There was some artistic paintings and some information, but other than that there was nothing.

Apparently, Marcus had driven all the vampires out of the city, using the old methods of garlic, holy water and crucifixes. The whole thing was stupid to me, I mean, who the hell believed in vampires anymore? Scrolling down, I saw something so disturbing that I daren't believe my eyes. What at first looked like an oil painting turned out to be something far more sinister. It _was _an oil painting, of men and women in cloaks, wrapped around pillars and enjoying themselves in the Volterra night; but it was not these people, dressed all in black who caught my eye, it was the men standing on the balcony above it. One was black haired, yet incredibly pale, two others were white haired, yet majestic, not old. The fourth man sent my blood running cold with dread and fear, though he was not dangerous, and did not have a frightening face. The fourth man was identical to Carlisle Cullen, right down to the way a lock of his blonde hair fell onto his face, the one he had to constantly sweep out in a surprisingly sexy way. What? He may be my brother's future father-in-law, but he sure is a hottie.

What I couldn't explain was why Carlisle would be standing on a balcony in Italy with a guy who drove away the vampires in say, oh 1750. But the likeness was so great, that there could be no denying that this was Carlisle standing on the balcony.

I made a new file on my computer, and decided to make it like a criminal investigation, filled with photos and evidence of what I was going to find. Because I planned to find it, lots and lots until I came to the truth that the Cullen's and Emmett seemed so desperate to keep from me. I saved it as Volterra, as I actually had no idea what this was going to be about.

With all good investigations, it's good to start with the facts you know. I knew that "Carlisle's" "friend" had driven away the vampires in the 1700's – ah crap it sounds crazy even _thinking _about it – so that's where I would start. Google was now loaded up, so I typed in "Vampire's" and waited for the results.

After sifting through bands, make-up, raves and chat rooms, I eventually found something that looked promising; a website about Vampire mythology, sorted date wise and A-Z.

At first I felt a little silly, looking for vampires and thinking that my friend's father may have been alive some 300 years ago, but nevertheless I stuck at it. I found enough to make me feel nauseous and uneasy.

Succubus – a female vampire who sleeps with human men. (Rosalie? Ha-ha only joking.)

Incubus – male vampire who sleeps with human women, often causing in pregnancy in which the mothers do not survive. (Again not applicable)

Stregnofi Benefici – an Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness and against all evil. (This made me concentrate a little harder, feeling that I was getting closer to the truth. Plus it helps that some of these mythical monsters weren't so bad.

There were loads of different articles which I skipped, which didn't tie in with Carlisle or any of the Cullen's at all. I was just about to forget about it and begin my homework when I found something that made me carry on.

When a vampire changes, it is said that their eyes are to be a deep shade of red, so deep a person can find themselves lost in the gaze. All vampires have the same color eyes.

All vampires have the same color eyes. All vampires have the same color eyes. It buzzed around in my head, and a sinking feeling somewhere in my stomach made me realize that I was on to something. All the Cullen's had the same, amber colored eyes, and the quote was the same one I had used when I first looked into Edward's eyes. Desperate now, I tried to find more.

Vampires are utterly inhuman, having such skill that a human couldn't have a chance of fighting them off. With their speed, strength, and sometimes extra ability powers, they are easily the most dangerous creatures in mythical folklore; however, with their changing eye color, bloodlust, pale skin, natural beauty, and ice cold skin, they are recognizable to those who know what they are looking for. They are undead, and cannot be murdered the same as a mortal can. Never aging, they can look the same for millions of years, living an immortal life off of the blood of others.

This was it, the answer I had been craving for so long. The Cullen's and Emmett were vampires, they had to be. I had never seen one of them eat anything, their eyes were the same color, they were beautiful, pale and icy skinned, and it would explain why Carlisle was in the painting I had found – because he was freaking immortal! It would explain something else; it was actually something I had forgotten until right this moment. When I went on my mission, some very fast, very strong creature had attacked the other two guards, whilst leaving me fine. Could it be possible that Edward had done that, and that he had run up behind me to pretend he had never done anything?

I started breathing heavy, as everything fell into place. Damn, no wonder Emmett had tried to keep this a secret from me, I was absolutely terrified, more so than I had ever been in my entire life!

I saved everything to the file, scared that I would forget something majorly important when I eventually confronted my brother about this. My head kept spinning with everything I had found out, trying to find some way that this could not be true, and that everything was as normal as it had been a week ago. But it wasn't. Nothing was right anymore.

'Bella!' Emmett's voice made me jump a mile, almost making me fall off the bed. 'Come on we have to go to school, you can drive I can't be bothered.'

'Coming!' dammit, my voice was shaky as hell.

'You okay sis?' he asked uneasily. Oh yeah I'm fine Emmett, I've just found out that you and my new friends are mythical monsters but no, I'm absolutely fine. Have you drunk anyone's blood recently? What about Charlie, is he still alive?

'I'm cool Emmett.' Coward. Bloody coward.

'Okay...' dammit, he wasn't convinced 'well let's go then.'

I crawled off my bed and put my laptop back on the table, doing everything slower and more cautiously than I would have usually done. My bag lay on the floor by my bed, and after I had put it on my shoulder I went out to meet Emmett. He stood outside my door looking at me curiously.

'Are you okay? I mean you seem a little jittery this morning. If this is about the guy that came to Carlisle's place don't worry about it. I know I was a little harsh this morning, but you have nothing to worry about as long as me or one of the others are with you okay?' he smiled at me reassuringly. Yeah nothing to worry about, unless one of them drinks my blood first but you know.

'I'm okay Emmett, really, you don't have to worry about me, I'll be absolutely fine.' I fake smiled at him.

'Now that's _my _little sister.' He laughed.

He threw an arm round me and led me to the garage, but I couldn't help but notice the anxious glances he threw towards the forest, and everywhere else that was remote and open. I had a funny feeling he wanted me to drive so that he could keep a better eye on things, but I didn't bring it up in fear of accidentally blurting out that I knew what he was. I imagined that wouldn't go down so well.

The drive was pretty much silent. He kept looking into the forests next to us, whilst my mind was too preoccupied with my recent discovery. I decided to observe them today, just so that I could put my theory to the test. I also made a mental note not to make myself bleed.

I pulled the Jeep into the lot and parked next to Edwards Volvo, where all the others were stood waiting anxiously. I had barely turned the engine off before Edward pulled me out and set me on my feet.

'Uhh thanks.' I said, heading up to the school. I had no-one in my lessons first thing, so I didn't bother waiting for anyone. Well, that was my plan anyway; I had barely taken two steps before someone grabbed my bag and pulled me back.

'What the hell?' I said, glaring at Jasper.

'Sorry Bella, but didn't Emmett tell you, you can't go wandering off on your own anymore?'

'He might have mentioned it.' I mumbled.

'Please remember it.' He urged, letting me go.

'Right' Emmett began. I groaned, it was going to be like a war speech. 'Bella, you have English first, so I will take you there, and then take you to gym afterwards. Rosalie has transferred to your gym class, so you'll have her and then stay with her at break. She'll take you to algebra, and then Jasper will walk you to Spanish. Edward will meet you after and take you to lunch. After that Edward will take you to biology with him, and then take you to sociology. After that, Alice will come and take you to history, and I will meet you after that to take you home, understood?' he finished. I simply stared at him in horror.

'Why don't you just lock me in the garage and be done with it?' I said angrily 'this is fucking ridiculous Emmett! I'm not going to be chaperoned to class like I'm about to be assassinated or something!'

'You will Bella, we discussed this this morning!'

'No, we did not _discuss _anything! You simply told me what to do! I'm sorry Emmett, but I'm not going along with it.' I said stubbornly, folding my arms.

'Yes you-' he was cut off by tires squealing across the lot, braking suddenly next to me. The door was thrown open, and a familiar face grinned at me.

'Hey Al, you ready to go?' Caleb asked. He was my sometimes partner, when the missions were particularly dangerous or required to people; he was a pretty fun guy.

'Yeah I'm ready.' I flung my bag in the front seat and climbed in, whilst he grinned at me even more.

'Bella where the hell are you going?' Emmett asked, whilst the others gaped at me in shock.

'Out!' I laughed as Caleb sped away from the school.

He drove all the way from Forks to our place in Seattle. You see, one upon a time we went out, and we were pretty damn serious. We bought our own place together and everything, but it just didn't work out. He got shot due to a fault by me, and I never forgave myself for it. He didn't blame me of course, but I broke it off in fear of losing him forever. We kept the place, and we use it whenever we feel like, it's actually a good idea.

'How'd you know to come and get me?' I asked as he sped along the motorway.

'I don't know, something inside just told me that you would be wanting to get away for today, so I came and got you.' He laughed, draping an arm over the back of my chair.

True he is 22 and I'm only 17, but he felt like the one at the time. Hell, he still feels like the one, even though it can never happen. Something is more likely to happen to Caleb because of me than Edward. Though, now I know that Edward is a mythical monster, I doubt things will be going well with him anymore.

'I appreciate it Caleb, things have been a little crazy at the minute.' I sighed as I got out of the car and walked into the house. It was a really nice place. Clean walls, cute porch, big front and back gardens, 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. It was like a fairy tale that was never going to get its happy ending.

'You're welcome babe, anything for you.' He grinned 'Is it Weaver that's causing you the trouble?' he laughed.

'Uhh, no actually.' I sighed, throwing my bag on the floor and sitting on the couch.

'Well what is it?' he asked, throwing me a bottle of Coke and sitting down next to me.

'Thanks. You're gonna think I've gone crazy when I tell you.'

I made my mind up to tell him about the vampires, as we had seen things much worse and much more unlikely in our time as spies. I prayed that he would believe me.

'Babe I already think you're crazy.' He laughed 'but go on, tell me what's bothering you.'

'Well, it's my brother and his friends.'

'What about them?'

'I think... I think they're...'

'Go on, I wont laugh I promise.'

'Vampires. I think they're vampires.' I blurted out.

He sat staring at me for a minute, trying to see if I actually believed this or I was having a laugh with him. Then at last he smiled and set his bottle down.

'Tell me why you believe this.'

So I told him. I told him about what I had seen, and everything I had found out on the internet. His face grew more and more worried as I told him. At last I came to the person had come to their house, and watched as his face grew angry at the fact he had grabbed me and wouldn't let go until he left.

'So now they reckon someone is after them, and they won't let me go anywhere alone. I was going to have to be chaperoned from class to class if you hadn't shown up!'

'This is really serious Al. if this is true, then you're in danger of even going to sleep, especially if your brother doesn't.'

'He's not dangerous! He can't hunt humans, otherwise his eyes would be red, and I would know if he kept sneaking out to put contacts in wouldn't I?'

'Point. Okay, if you go back, you're going to have to have an even more vigilant guard about you okay? If things start to go bad, I want you to call me and then come straight here. I mean it Bella, this is really bad, and is not something you will be able to handle on your own.'

'I understand Caleb, it's just that I don't want anything to happen to Emmett or the Cullen's if something actually does come after them.'

'Hey, hey.' He pulled me into a hug as I started to cry; only now realizing what a really bad place I was in. Should I stay with Caleb and not get myself involved? Have the life I had been living for a while, go to work, have a life away from my dad and Emmett? Or should I go back, face my fears and remain loyal to my family?

'Sorry, I just don't know what to do Caleb.'

'Hey don't apologize! I think you should go back, but _please _keep in touch so I wont be worrying twenty four seven.'

'I will, promise.' I laughed.

_Down to you_

_You're pushing and pulling me down to you_

_But I don't know what I_

_Now when I caught myself I had to stop myself_

'Shit.' I said, grabbing my phone from my bag.

'It's your brother aint it?' he asked sympathetically.

'Oh yeah.' I said weakly.

'Good luck with that; I'll go get us something to eat. Be back in a bit.' He laughed and kissed the top of my head before grabbing his coat and keys and heading out of the door. I sighed and stabbed the answer button.

'Bella where are you, why the hell did you run off like that, you know how crazy things are right now!' Emmett's panicked voice came through the speaker.

'I know Em, I know. I'm at my place in Seattle, my friend brought me here. I ran off because you're doing my nut in.'

He sighed and went on 'Look I know I'm being overprotective, but this is for your benefit. And what do you mean _your _place?'

'When I was dating this guy we bought a house together cos we were really serious, and that's were I am now.'

'You bought a house! Fuck Bella, you're gonna get so done form dad when he finds out about this. Look give me the address and I'll come get you.'

'No need, he's gonna bring me back later.'

'Bella please, you don't know how worried and frustrated we all are right now.'

'Look, I'll be back later, so just chill alright? Anyway, we have to talk about something later anyway, something really important.'

'What did you do?' he sighed.

'You always assume I've done something! Let's just say, this will come as a shock to you, hell I almost had a heart attack when I found out!' what the hell am I doing?!

'If you're pregnant I'm gonna kill the guy, and you know I will!' he growled. I held the phone away from my ear and bit my lip to stop myself form laughing. All I could hear in the background was Rosalie screeching and Alice squealing 'pregnant oh my God!' well at least I knew who was acting like my mother and who was acting like my best friend and/or sister.

'I'm not pregnant Emmett' I giggled 'But there is something I have to tell you, and it will wait until later, okay, bye!'

'Don't you dare hang-'

Too late, I had already pressed the end call button and turned my phone off. True I was going to get into deep shit later, but for the moment who cares!

I lay back on the sofa and started laughing. Emmett's face must have been a picture, vampire or not. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that when the front door slammed I must have jumped about a mile of the sofa.

'It's only me.' Caleb laughed 'here, grabbed your favourite from maccy d's.' he threw me the bag of my junk food.

'Thanks Cal, gotta have a junk food fix.'

'Amen to that.' He high-fived me 'so when are you wanting to go back?'

'You getting of me already?' I asked, pretending to look shocked.

'Course not babe, just want to know if I'm taking you back or not.'

'If you would.'

'Sure, I'll take you about 4 so you can be back around 5. That should stop your brother from shitting himself eh?' he laughed.

'Yeah I guess. Did you mean it; you know when you said I should come here if things start to go... badly?'

'Course I did, I don't want you to get hurt because I'm not around to help you Bella, it would be like... I don't know'

'Like what I did to you.' I whispered.

'Stop okay, you did nothing wrong, I told you that.' He said, putting an arm around me.

'But I didn't do anything right either! You told me that I had to be at the bridge by midnight or we wouldn't get out of there unnoticed, but I still had to get myself into a fight with those guards.'

'If you hadn't they would have shot you dead Bella, and it would be me sat here alone right now having a go at myself for not saving you.' He said firmly.

'I should've listened.'

'No, I shouldn't have made us go separate ways in that tunnel, I knew there would be some serious consequences of we didn't stick together.'

'Lets just stop, okay? We had a go at ourselves before, and I thought I was going to die of the stress that built up waiting for you to come out of that coma.'

'But you didn't, thank God.' He laughed 'We got through it, though our relationship didn't.'

'No it didn't, and I don't think there's any going back now.' I whispered.

'You've met someone else.' It wasn't a question.

'Yes and no.'

'Explain for me please.'

'I don't know how I feel about him.' I sighed 'I really, really like him, but there's part of me which is still hopelessly in love with you. Besides, before I found out he might be a... you know, I thought I was going to get him in some serious trouble.'

Caleb was silent for a while, absentmindedly plying with my hair and stroking my face. It was his "deep in concentration mode".

'If you still have feelings for him now that you know he's a vampire, I think you two should be together. As for me, I had my chance to make things work out with you, and I didn't, so now I've lost you forever.'

'You haven't lost me; I'll always be yours Cal, just in a different way.'

'Best friends forever, no doubt about that.' He whispered, leaning his head on mine and closing his eyes.

And so, me and Caleb were officially finished, never to go back into a relationship again, and to remain best friends. Something inside felt broken, like now we were officially apart, something had broken up inside too.

We sat there for hours, hugging and holding each other close, neither one of us willing to let go. But at 4, I decided that this had to end now.

'Cal? Cal, I've got to go.'

'Alright babe, I'll take you home.'

This car ride had a little bit of tension, we spoke less, but I caught him sneaking glances at me, and I'm pretty sure he saw mine. He was the first real boyfriend I ever had, and I desperately wished I wouldn't have to let him go, but that was that, and we both had to move on.

I told him to stop at the beginning of my street so I could cut through the forest at the back and go through the back door. I had no intention of facing Emmett tonight, no matter what I told him on the phone.

'So I guess this is-' he clamped a hand over my mouth to stop me.

'Don't say it babe, we can still see each other, even if we aren't going out.'

'Kay.' I smiled. 'Bye for now honey.' I smiled, kissed him on the cheek and stepped out of the car, gently closing it behind me.

'Miss you, even if we see each other tomorrow.' He smiled sadly.

'The next time we see each other, you'll be introducing me to your new girlfriend.' I laughed.

'Alright, bye Bella.' He smiled.

'Bye Caleb.'

After a quick wave he was gone, racing down my street and around the corner in a matter or seconds. I would miss him sure, but we needed to be apart if we were ever going to get over each other.

The wind picked up, so I wrapped my jacket a little tighter to me and started walking to the forest at the back of my house. It was dark and kinda spooky, but I wasn't fazed, the house was only a few metres down the road.

A light rustling in the bushes next to me made me gasp and stop dead in my tracks. There was an aura that told me I wasn't alone, but I ignored it, convincing myself that it was a raccoon or something. Yet, a few steps along I heard it again, this time there was no mistake that I was being watched, maybe even followed.

My pace quickened, and the words of warning that Emmett had for me earlier started to make a lot of sense to me. I was almost there, I thought, only a few more steps and then I can climb over the fence into my garden. But before I had a chance, I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, pulling me back into the forest with it. I turned, to see a large pair of gleaming red eyes staring at me. The vampires were here.


	10. The Truth

The vampire pulled me closer, all the while its mouth got wider, bringing it down towards my neck slowly. I was too scared to even scream, though I doubted anyone would hear me. He was inches away from the fatal bite that would drain me, never to be heard from again. I closed my eyes and prayed it would be over quickly and painlessly.

A loud roar, ringing with fury came from the darkness behind me. I was thrown through the trees and my back crashed against a large tree a few metres away. I saw two men fighting, and assumed both were vampires. I tried to get up and run, but my legs were frozen, and I couldn't move anywhere.

The vampire that came out from the shadows ripped the head off the one who attacked me, making me gag and turn away. I had a go at myself for not running whilst I had the chance, as he was surely to come for me after he gad finished mutilating the other vampire.

He stood up with his back to me, but slowly turned to face me, his hands dripping with blood. I stifled a gasp – it was Edward.

'Edward?'

'I'm sorry.' He whispered, and then I passed out.

*

'What the hell did you do that for you fucking idiot?!'

'Quiet, you'll wake her!'

'It doesn't matter, thanks to this idiot she's gonna be straight back to New York City as soon as she wakes up! I wanted to keep this from her a little while longer while she began to trust me, is that too much to ask?!'

'Emmett please!'

'No! Your son has just ruined whatever chance I had with my sister, I'll be surprised of she doesn't call the FBI on us!'

'She won't, I can see that.'

'When will she wake up?' the tone was much softer now.

'She'll open her eyes in 27 seconds.'

'Oh God.'

'It'll be okay baby.'

I couldn't keep my eyes closed any longer. I opened my eyes to see that I was laid on the sofa at the Cullen's house, with everyone stood at opposite ends of the room, watching me with caution. I sat up slowly, eyeing where everyone was in the room, and trying to see how the hell I could get out of this one. But one look at Edward's face told me I didn't need to; he wasn't going to hurt me.

'You gotta give me some answers.' I said, surprised at how confident I sounded. There was a really long silence, where everyone stared at each other and wondered what to say.

'Bella, you hit your head, I mean you're confused.' Edward said. I simply glared at him.

'Confused?!'

'Yeah.'

And that was when I got mad. They'd kept this from me for so long and even now that I know they still want to keep secrets! Well, if they're gonna be bastards about this then so am I. I grabbed a pen knife from the sideboard and held it to my wrist, whilst everyone gasped in horror.

'I'm gonna ask again, and this time I want something. You gotta give me some answers.' I said.

'Bella, please, just put the knife down.' Carlisle said, coming closer 'we don't want you to get hurt, so just put it down.'

'I don't think so! I know everything; I just want to hear it form you!' I screamed.

'Alright, put it down and we'll explain.' He said.

'Bell, please.' Emmett said, his face drawn with pain.

'No.'

'Alright, if we explain, do you promise to put the knife down?' Edward asked urgently.

'Yes, but only after you've explained everything to me; I still haven't worked out a few of the details.' I said, sitting on the couch but keeping the knife on my wrist.

'What do you already know?' Carlisle asked.

'I know what you are. I know that you're vampires.'

Emmett put his head in his hands and sank to the floor, whilst Rosalie comforted him. Carlisle and Esme looked shocked to say the least; Alice's face was blank, her eyes glassy; Jasper looked as though he was steadying her. Edward stared at me, trying to read my neutral expression.

'How did you find out?' Carlisle sighed after a while. I smiled, glad to finally get the truth from them, even if it was disturbing and frightening.

'The internet of course.' I said smugly. He muttered to himself about the curses of the internet whilst I sat there, happy that they were going to let me in on it.

'You have to know Bella, we don't drink human blood, only animal. So you have nothing to worry about, alright?' Esme said.

'Of course she does!' Rosalie shouted 'Bella, I never wanted to become a vampire, but if you stay here you're more than likely to either be changed, or be killed by one of us.'

'Rosalie what the hell!' Emmett said.

'She has to know!' she shouted

'No-one would ever kill her.'

'How do you know that? What about Jasper, do you think he'll be able to handle himself around her? What if she ends up cutting herself, are you going to be able to control yourself?'

'I'll protect her.' Edward said.

'Will you stop talking like I'm not here?! Did you not trust me Emmett; I mean you could've told me, I wouldn't have spread it around. And I wouldn't have been that scared, I mean I'm here now aren't I?' he just shrugged 'you were never going to tell me were you?' I gasped

'I planned on it.' He mumbled.

'How the hell did you think you were going to get away with it? Don't you think I would've noticed when I looked 60 and you were still a teenager?! Or am I just a stupid little kid to you?'

'Bella, come on, this was really tough on me.'

'On you?! I was worried about you ever since I got here, but no, you've had a goddamn awful time lying to me!'

Don't be so melodramatic Bella; you're not the only one involved in this. Stop making it all about yourself.' Rosalie spat.

'Looks who's talking.' I scoffed.

'If you don't like what he is, then get the hell out of here, no-one wants you around anyway.' She spat.

I turned and walked out of the house, walking straight into the trees at the far end of the garden. I hoped they wouldn't find me in here, I just wanted to craw into a hole and die. I can't believe he was never going to tell me! Either that or he never planned on seeing me again after this, so he wouldn't have to explain tome why he didn't look any older. A few tears slipped down my cheek as I remembered that vampires were immortal. Emmett was immortal. He was going to see my death, see Charlie's, see Jacob's, the list went on. And did he give a shit about that? No, of course he didn't, he had his Barbie fiancée, he didn't need me anymore, no-one here does.

I picked myself off the floor, brushed the mud off my jacket and started to walk home. I knew exactly what I would have to do when I got there. Pack my things, leave a note for Charlie, sneak over to Brian's to get anything that I left there, and then drive home to New York City, where I would pick my life back up where I left it off. Emmett and Charlie would never hear from me again, and they could have their life back to normal, without the annoying teenager in their life.

'Bella?'

I turned to see Emmett stood behind me, playing with the zipper on his jacket nervously.

'Yeah Emmett?' I sighed

'I'm sorry I kept this from you, but I didn't want to scare you off. You have no idea how much you mean to me sis.' He whispered, sitting down and patting the grass next to him.

'Emmett, what the hell happened to you?'

'You really wanna know?' he said grimly.

'I'm sick of the secrets and lies Em, what happened to me and you telling each other everything eh?'

'Okay, you asked for it.' He sighed. 'It was a Saturday and I was really, really bored. I remember it well because it was the same day that I got that letter from you, telling me about your sweet 16th birthday party, and it was an unusually hot and sunny day for Forks.

'Anyway, I went hiking in the woods a few miles from here, just thinking about you and what I was going to say back. I was going to ask you to come and stop, but I was really nervous about it. And I was thinking back to one day when I was in Seattle, where I saw a girl that looked _just _like you.' I fidgeted a little uncomfortably 'So I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, or what was around me. Out of the trees came a huge grizzly bear, that went straight for me. Course I was shit-scared, so I couldn't run anywhere. It hit me, and I fell to the floor. It was about to take me out for good, when someone actually grabbed it's paw and held it away from me. The person then killed it, and ripped its head off like it was a toy animal!

'So then they turned around, and I could've sworn I was hallucinating. It was the most beautiful blonde woman I had ever seen, but her skin sparkled like diamonds. The last thing I remember was her actually lifting me up and running with great speed away from where I had been. I must've passed out, because when I woke up, it felt like I was on fire. That's what the venom in a human body feels like, and I felt like I wanted to die.

'But I didn't die, when I next opened my eyes after the pain went away, I could see and hear everything 10 times better than I used to. But there was a new ache, like being thirsty in my throat, and Carlisle explained to me what I was and what I had to do.

'Course I already knew the kids form school, but I'd never actually spoken to them. I hung around with them after that, and me and Jacob never spoke to each other again. I moved in with the Cullen's for a while, just so I could get my thirst under control so I could go back to Charlie.'

'Rosalie saved your life?' I whispered.

'Yeah, without her you wouldn't have a big brother anymore.'

'Em, I think I need a minute.'

'Sure.' He said uncertainly 'I'm sorry for dumping this all in you, but you had to find out thanks to fucking Edward.' He growled, and I laughed a little hysterically.

'That's alright Emmett.'

'Okay, talk in a bit honey.' He kissed my cheek and left me alone to my thoughts. Now that I was alone, I felt warmer, and remembered that Emmett was absolutely freezing. I would never tell him this though.

'Bella?' A velvet voice came from behind me.

'Edward.' I said, without turning around.

'Look, I'm so sorry you had to see that, but I couldn't just let him kill you Bella.' He pleaded 'Can you ever forgive me?' I didn't answer 'Can you ever even look at me again?' he whispered, sitting down next to me where Emmett had just been. I turned to look at him, which undeniably pleased him.

'I can forgive you; you were just trying to protect me.'

'Thanks.' He grinned you're okay though aren't you?'

'Yeah, thanks to you I'm fine. Everyone's mad at you aren't they?'

'Yeah, but I don't care. They would have yelled at me even more if I had left you to die.' He said through gritted teeth.

'I cant believe you saved my life.' I sighed and smiled at him 'I owe you big time.'

'Actually… you owe me 3 times.'

'What?!'

'I saved your life 3 times.' He had a huge grin on his face as I got more and more confused, and he laughed loudly when I couldn't figure it out.

'First time was in the woods when I knocked out those guards, then tonight. The one you don't know about was when I pulled you from the wreckage of your car.' He whispered the last part softly, making them sound like music.

'So that's what I heard! Dammit, I knew I didn't imagine anything!' I laughed. 'Dang, 3 times, I owe you so much.' I laughed.

'I know how you can make it up to me.'

He leaned towards me slowly, placing his cold hand on my cheek and closing his eyes at the last minute. If it wasn't for the fact of what he was about to do, I would've been seriously pissed that he cut me off from the view of his gorgeous golden eyes. He lips were soft on mine, and he had the best flavor. One arm wrapped around my waist and another went into my hair, stroking it gently and pushing it away from my face. His tongue caressed my lip, and I opened my mouth to deepen the kiss. His hot, sweet breath flowed down my throat, dizzying my senses except for taste, which was definitely working! My hands knotted in his hair, and he gave a soft moan as I pulled myself closer to him, all the while we were getting more intense, and closer to the ground.

He laid his body carefully on top of mine, not letting me feel his weight, which was the best feeling ever, and like nothing I had ever experienced before. Feeling him between my legs felt better than anyone I had ever been with, and I gave a moan of pleasure that matched his.

His hands were getting tighter on my waist and hair, and I had a feeling this was going to go further than either of us expected. But before it had a chance, he pushed back and looked into my eyes, his breathing heavy and his hands still caressing my body.

'I can't do this anymore Bella.' He breathed. My heart felt like a stone, falling so far down I doubt I'd ever find it again.

'What do you mean?' I asked breathlessly, as somewhere in my body my heart got faster and faster.

'I mean I can't just be your friend anymore Bella, I'll die if I can't have you as mine. I know you said we can't be together, but I don't think I can handle being around you as just a friend. Please Bella, will you give us a try?' he smiled, gently kissing my neck and keeping his face there whilst I answered…

**********************************************haha cliffhanger!

I know this isn't as long as the others, but I wrote this in 20 minutes without any ideas of what I was going to put so you know :L

Review please, I need constructive criticism

Thanks :D xxxx


	11. Falling

'Bella, please answer me, I'm going crazy over here.' He whispered, bringing his soft lips across my collarbone, whilst his hands explored the length of my body, making me tingle and shiver.

'My answer is yes Edward; I can't stay away from you either. I tried, but I guess I failed miserably.' I said, making him laugh into my neck.

'Can't say I'm complaining.' He whispered, showering kisses all the way down to my cleavage, where he stroked me gently, making small circles with his icy fingertips.

'Me neither.' I laughed 'So what now, what do you want?'

'You' he whispered 'Everything about you I want, if you want me to have it that is.'

'Of course I do.' My voice shook as his hands trailed down my waist and across my thighs, making me shiver and sigh. He smiled up at me and brought his lips back down to mine, making no hesitation as he put his tongue in my mouth and fought mine for dominance. One hand of mine was once again knotted in his hair, but the other trailed down his back, then rubbing his thigh, making him moan into my mouth. As much as I wanted to do more, I didn't. I gently broke away, pushing him away slightly as I sat up, looking him in the eyes. He was confused the say the least, using the look I adored.

'Did I do something wrong? If that was too much for you I swear I won't do it again until you're ready. I guess I just caught up in the moment.' He rushed.

'Don't worry.' I laughed 'I stopped because I don't really want to be going any further on the forest floor, just outside your house. Not to mention all the people in your house have exceptional hearing. And I hope you didn't mean what you said.' I said, pretending to look angry and shocked.

'What do you mean?'

'Edward Cullen, if you never do that again I swear I will kick your ass and force you to.' I laughed.

'You can have me any time you want Bella, just say the word.' He grinned, standing up and gently pulling me with him.

'The word.' I said, kissing him gently on his collarbone and trailing kisses all the way up to his earlobe before I whispered 'this is it Cullen, don't mess it up.'

'I promise I wont.' He put his hand on his heart 'Can I show you the real me, the vampire me?' he asked uncertainly 'There's so much you don't know, that you have to see.'

'Will you turn into a bat?' I asked warily.

'Like I haven't heard that one before!' he laughed 'ready?'

'Ready for what?'

'This!'

I screamed as he flung me onto his back and began to run. The forest flew beside me, and everything was a dark shade of green. He seemed to dodge the trees and the animals, like everything else was going in slow motion for him. I'd never been so exhilarated, or so shocked in my entire life. My stomach seemed to have been left behind back in the clearing, we were going that fast. Scaring me half to death, he came to a sudden stop a few minutes after he started running.

'Dammit Cullen.' I said breathlessly, slipping off his back and onto the floor.

'Sorry, I guess I didn't really think about how a human might react to that sort of speed, do you need a minute?'

'Try 5.' He just laughed at me and sat down next to me.

'Sorry, I didn't really think.' He sighed 'shit.' He said suddenly, his face going pale.

'What's up?'

'Emmett. You know that when he finds out I'm going to be a dead man right? I mean, I'm his best friend and I just snogged his little sister on the forest floor, I can tell you now he's gonna be mad as hell.'

'Edward.' I laughed 'if you're that worried about my dear brother killing you I'll protect you.'

'Thanks Bella.' He grinned, hopping up. 'So, I said I would show you the real me, and so I will.' He grinned

'You can do more than running like that?'

'Of course.' He laughed.

Fast as lightening, he ran over to the tree opposite me, where he actually ripped it out of the ground. No joke, a 3 foot thick tree, and he just ripped it up out of the ground like a daisy or something. I couldn't do anything but stare at him. After grinning at me, and showing off by throwing it up and catching it, he snapped it in half and threw it to the floor, making the ground beneath me tremble and shudder.

'Fuck Edward.' Was all I could say.

'Are you scared?' he whispered, approaching me slowly. 'It wouldn't surprise me if you were, I'm the most dangerous thing out there. Bella, if you left me now because you were scared I wouldn't blame you and I wouldn't try and stop you either.' He said quietly, his face drawn with pain, and his eyes boring into me.

'Edward Cullen are you trying to ditch me?' I said, pretending to look shocked.

'I just want you to have a shot at a normal, human life. You are too precious to be caught up in the life of vampires, and even more unlucky to have a vampire fall in love with you.' Oh. My. God.

'Did you just say...you love me?' I asked in shock. He turned to me, looking confused, but when he saw my half shocked half happy face, a huge grin spread from between his ears.

'Of course I love you! I know that you might think it's a little early, but I knew it as soon as I saw you. I had never believed in love at first sight until I saw you that first night, I though Alice was joking.' He chuckled.

'What's that about Alice?' he paused, trying to figure out what to say to me. It was the cutest look.

'A few weeks before you came here, Alice had a vision about me finding my perfect match, my soul mate in other words. I didn't believe her at first because I had never known love, and I never thought I would, so I just blew her off. But then when Emmett brought that photo in of you, I felt a kind if spark, I had no clue as to what it meant. Then Aiden said he liked the look of you, and something inside me just made me want to kill him for what he was saying about you, and I just lashed out. Course only Alice knew what was going on, so she comforted me and tried to assure me that it was alright. But I didn't want to claim you, I mean you were my friend's sister, not to mention a human, how could I take you like that! One night, Alice told me to go and wait in some forests just outside of Seattle. I had no idea what she meant, but I did it anyway, as she had been right so far.

'A few minutes after I got there, I heard a commotion in the woods a few minutes away, so I went to find out what was going on. When I got there, a young woman was being chased by 3 guards, all of them wanting to kill her. I knew I couldn't just let her die, so I attacked the guards and saved her life, pretending I didn't know what had happened to them.'

'I knew it was you!' I laughed.

'The woman turned around' he continued, standing up and walking aimlessly with me 'and I nearly passed out. She was beautiful, everything all women in the world try so hard to achieve, she had it. The perfect face and body, and a lovely personality to match. You Bella. I knew that I had to help you, so I got you away, but all the while wondering if I would ever see you again. You see, I was so transfixed with you that I didn't take notice of your name; if I did I wouldn't have been so upset that night, and wouldn't have done what I did.'

'What did you do?' I asked, coming to a stop.

'Nothing bad, well I suppose it's how you look at it really.' He pondered.

'What. Did. You. Do?'

'I followed you home and watched you sleep, I just couldn't bear to let you go.' He whispered.

I froze, he watched me sleep? This absolutely perfect boy, who I thought I never had a chance with, let alone would ever see again, had followed me all the way home just to watch me sleep.

'You really do love me don't you Edward?'

'You even have to ask?' he laughed, sounding more like a God than ever. I couldn't help but grin like a fool, he was MINE.

'I love you too Edward!' I laughed, jumping up and hugging him tightly 'it doesn't matter to me what you are, you will always be mine and I will always be yours, no matter what.' I said, kissing him quickly, so I could look into his eyes. Oh fuck, I'm going all lovey-dovey!

'Are you ready to go back?' he asked, exploring my neck with his lips.

'Well, I'm ready to go back, but no amount of preparation is going to get me ready to face Emmett and his big-brotherly wrath.' I said shakily, as he laughed into my neck.

'Better now than later.' He said, kissing me one last time on my cheek before throwing me onto his back and starting to run again. I grinned a little as he stoked my leg with the hand that kept me firmly in place, but I knew I had to keep a little bit of control for when I was facing Emmett! The forest became a streaky green blur, and I was left to my thoughts.

What was I going to tell Emmett? Oh hey big brother, I was just making out with your best friend in the forest whilst he felt me up – not that I object to that – and did I mention we're soul mates? Yeah I'll say that, when I want Edward to die a painful death.

We stopped at the edge of the forest, just in view of the house. Anyone inside would be able to hear us if we said anything now I expected. Edward took my hand in his, gently rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb as we walked up to the house – I guess he felt my heart rate get faster. Forget worrying about telling Charlie, Emmett was going to be 10 times worse. We approached the house, where Alice was waiting for us on the front porch.

'Oh my God you two!' she squealed 'I was sooo excited when I had the vision, I just knew you two would get together! Come on, everyone's in the sitting room.' She skipped away, whilst I gulped in sudden fear.

'It'll be okay, I won't leave you, and we can explain this together.' Edward said, leaning down to kiss me on the lips before pushing the door open and walking into the sitting room, where everyone was sat as I left them earlier. Emmett and Rosalie were on the sofa by the window, Rosalie looking at him nervously, as his angry glare became fixed on mine and Edward's entwined hands.

'Emmett.' Edward began, but he was cut off.

'Edward, Bella, are you two...?' Esme began, her face filled with joy as she beamed at us.

'Yes mom, Bella and I are together, and it's the real thing.' He said, gazing down at me. I could do nothing but smile back, he was mine and everyone now knew.

'What the hell do you mean _the real thing?!' _Emmett scoffed 'no offence Bella, but you're a little bit young to be committing yourself aren't you?'

'Em, I'm totally serious about Edward, I've never felt this way about anyone, not even...' I began, but stopped after taking one glance at the look on his face. If he was human, he would have been purple by now; his face contorted in anger, and I was more scared of him than ever. Finally he sighed and looked me in the eyes.

'Guess I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later.' He muttered.

'Thanks Em!' I said, running up and kissing him on the cheek.

'That doesn't mean I approve!'

'But you will!' I sang, running back to Edward and taking his hand whilst the others laughed at us.

'Well Bella, I guess we can call you a member of the family officially now, seeing as though you and Edward have become an item.' Carlisle said, smiling 'I urge you not to be too upfront about your relationship in front of Emmett though.' He grinned.

'Ground rules!.' Emmett began, but Rosalie put a hand over his mouth to stop him.

'What he means to say is, "congratulations you two, just don't get married on a whim okay?"' she said.

I guess that could have gone worse right? The whole evening was spent with Emmett and I telling the rest of the group stupid stories form when we were younger, and trying to make the other feel embarrassed in front of their boyfriend/fiancée. When the time eventually did come to go home, I found that I didn't want to leave Edward, not yet.

'I think you should go home and get some sleep Bella, I'm taking you out tomorrow.' He whispered, as Emmett went to go and get his car from the garage.

'Sure thing. Where are you taking me anyway?' I asked sleepily, it must've been at least 3 in the morning.

'That's for me to know and you to find out.' He grinned 'I just wish I didn't have to leave you yet, you don't know how much tonight is going to drag.'

'Then don't.' I whispered, leaning into his chest as my eyes grew heavy.

'I can arrange that, but don't get your hopes up for me not getting attacked by Emmett.' He grinned, stroking my back gently.

'Mmm.'

'You're exhausted.' He said, lifting me up. I leant my head against his chest, falling into a deep sleep as he carried me outside. He truly was my protector.


	12. Stories and Meadows

**Should I make a sequel to 'My Vampire Romance'? Poll on my profile!**

**Hey, sorry it's been a while ******** but here it is, the new chapter of my story! Review please, and enjoy!**

I sat up, gasping for air as the nightmare finally came to a close. I dreamt that I was drowning, whilst screaming for someone to help me. Edward ran to me, but he was pulled away by a stranger with a dark cloak and red eyes. The stranger pulled me further into the water, and the last thing I saw before my eyes closed were a set of razor-sharp teeth, dripping with Edward's blood...

'Bella, are you okay? Don't worry, it was just a dream.' Edward said softly, pulling me back into his arms. 'I'm here, you're safe.'

'I know' I said breathily 'thanks Edward.' I leaned back into his arms, feeling them get tighter around me, and my head slowly sinking back onto my pillow. He looked into my eyes lovingly, never gazing away, never taking the jubilant smile off his perfect face. The only thing I could think about was that he was mine, I could keep him forever, and no-one else could interfere.

'I think you should go back to sleep Bella, you had a long day, and tomorrow we're going out. Though you won't be doing much.' He grinned.

'Clue number 1!' I grinned as he groaned and slapped his forehead.

'Dammit.' He muttered, leaning into my neck and grinning slightly. I shivered a little from his icy touch, but he just pulled the cover back onto me and wrapped a tender arm across my shoulders. 'Like I said, I think you should go back to sleep.'

'I can't, I'm wide awake now thanks to that fucking dream.' I said scornfully, glaring at the pillow for some insane reason. It made him laugh though.

'Alright, if you can't – or should I say _wont _– go back to sleep, what do you want to do?' he asked.

'I want to know more about vampires, I still don't know what it's like.'

'You really want to hear about this?' he asked incredulously.

'Yepp.'

'Okay. Well, I'll tell you about Volterra, how about that?'

'That sounds good.' I grinned, glad to be getting some straight answers 'strange kind of bedtime stories huh?' I laughed.

'Tell me about it. Anyway, you know that we lived in Volterra for a few years? But Carlisle had been there before, he was a good friend of-'

'Marcus, who _supposedly _got rid of all the vampires living in the area. This was in 1750; there were 2 other men as well.' I said proudly. He just stared at me in shock. 'I saw an oil painting of Carlisle and his friends, that's what got me started on the whole vampire theory.'

'Right...'he said disapprovingly 'anyway, the two other men were called Aro and Caius, great friends of Carlisle Cullen, but very dangerous if you got on their bad side. A little bit like you I guess.' He chuckled. 'But they didn't agree with Carlisle's method of only drinking animal blood, so eventually he left them.'

'Where did he go?'

'America, he went all over, healing the sick as often as he could, setting up permanent places of residence whenever the opportunity arose. It was 1918, and the Spanish influenza was spreading like wild fire all over Chicago, myself being one of the infected. Carlisle decided this was the place to go, as he could help more here. He looked after me for a few weeks, as well as nursing my mother and father; I remember feeling awed by him, the way that he seemed to never stop, and how he was around these people yet never catching the disease himself. My mother died a dew days later, my father having succumbed a few days before that. I felt close to death myself, and 3 days after my mother's death I knew this was the end.'

I gave a gasp, hating the thought of Edward dying on an old-fashioned hospital bed. It hurt me more than I could describe; however he just smiled reassuringly and stroked my hair.

'Don't worry, I don't remember much about the illness. What I do remember was when Carlisle changed me, the pain of the venom going through my body, making me feel as though I was being burned alive. But I didn't die, I woke up in Carlisle's house, feeling more alive than ever. He told me what I had become, and what I must do to remain strong. We moved around America together, and when we came to a town in Mississippi, he changed Esme, and she became his wife soon after that. Esme changed everything, making me feel loved and appreciated as a son, more so than Carlisle had ever made me feel, though he tried very hard.

'After a few years we moved to Rochdale, New York, where Carlisle found Rosalie dying in the streets. He brought her home and changed her, saying it would be a waste just to let her die. After a while I found out that he wanted Rosalie and I to fall in love, so we could be as happy as him and Esme, but I only ever felt towards her as a brother. We met Alice and Jasper when we were staying in Cleveland, Ohio; she just came to the door, knowing everything about us, towing Jasper along, and wondering if we would let them stay with us. Of course Carlisle couldn't refuse, and they've been with us ever since. That was around 50 years ago, and we've been moving around the country ever since. Eventually Alice had a vision about the perfect place for us to go: a little town called Forks, up in Washington State, where there was hardly any sunshine all year round. It was there that Rosalie first met Emmett, she fell for him straight away; though she knew she couldn't do anything about it, as he was human and she was a vampire. But then he almost died in the woods, and she got her happy ending with Emmett after he saved her.

'That just left me, alone, and surrounded by all the happy couples. It was just too much to bear, and I was going to leave until Alice had a special vision concerning me, where I would find my soul mate and have the happy life that my family had all found. I was overjoyed, yet skeptical as though nothing like this could ever happen to me. But it did, I met you Bella, and my life had meaning and purpose.' He smiled down at me, brushing the hair back from my face and stroking my face in the darkness.

'Edward.' I said gently.

'Yes sweetheart?'

'You're an idiot'

'Why?' he asked, his voice full of hurt.

'You were _supposed_ to be telling me about Volterra!' I laughed.

'Shoot.' He said, smacking his forehead as I laughed at him, he was so cute when he was confused. Actually, he was just plain cute. 'Okay, I guess I'd better tell you about that now then hadn't I?'

'Please' I laughed.

'Alright, well it was a few years after Alice and Jasper joined us, so about 1958, when we got an invitation from the Volturi – that's what Aro, Marcus, Caius and Carlisle called the guard they had – inviting us to go and stay there for a while. Of course Carlisle agreed and so we accepted the invitation and headed for Volterra. There we met the Filexsi coven, who we took an instant dislike too. The father figure was a bastard, always looking down his nose at us and sneering at our diet, you can probably understand that we all hated him. His wife wasn't much better, she was so used to be waited on hand and foot that she didn't even go out to hunt, they brought it to her. Last of all was the son, who was arrogant and self-centered, but jealous of Jasper and Emmett for the relationships they had with Alice and Rosalie. You know him, he goes to our school.'

'Aiden? His last name is _Filexsi?! _Damn if I'd have known that earlier I could've used it against him.' I grumbled

'You would.' He chuckled 'Anyway, he got so jealous of us that he tried to take it out on me, leading to a fight. I won of course.' A huge grin spread across his face 'He was murderously angry, but he never bothered any of us again. The father wasn't pleased, and went to Aro about punishment for us. But because Aro and Carlisle were old friends, he did nothing, and he was embarrassed in front of the entire Volturi. We never saw him again, as he took his coven away, never speaking of where he was going – not that we cared. The Volturi were hospitable, but we found that we couldn't stay there because of their diet, it just wasn't good for us, especially as Jasper didn't have much self-control. We left a few weeks later, and headed back for America, where we continued life as normal. When we got to Forks, there was a huge argument between me, Jasper Emmett and Aiden. You can imagine he wasn't too happy to see us. It turns out his mother and father figures had been killed, and he was left alone. We felt no pity for him though, as he drowned his sorrows by preying on the innocent, pretty girls of Forks high.'

'Hang on, you said that Aiden hates you right?'

'Yeah...'

'Couldn't he be the one sending people after you?'

'Hmm.' He began, his face furrowing in concentration 'I suppose it's possible, but where would he find people willing to attack a coven as large as ours?'

'I don't know, but if he hates you as much as you say he does...'

'You might be right; I'll get Alice to have a look.'

'Is there anything else you want to tell me?'

'No I'll save it for tomorrow, we can talk then.'

'Clue number 2!' I laughed as he growled.

'Dammit. Go to sleep before I end up ruining the surprise.' He said, bringing me closer, if it were possible.

'Alright.' I yawned, I didn't actually I realize how tired I was 'night Edward.'

'Goodnight baby.'

*

I woke up the next morning feeling colder than usual; though my cover was pulled up to the top of my chest, and my head was resting on my pillow. I didn't open my eyes, trying to think about what I last remembered, and why I was so cold.

'Oh!' I sat up straight as the previous day flooded back to me. Officially breaking up with Caleb, attack by a vampire, the Cullen's actually _being _vampires as I theorized, me and Edward getting together in the forest, and very strange bedtime stories. The last thing I remember was falling to sleep in a strong pair of arms; I knew that I felt safe there.

I turned to hear a soft musical chuckle coming from beside me. Of course, Edward didn't want to leave me last night, and he always got what he wanted, I guess that's why I felt so cold. He lay on the left side of my bed, still in the clothes he wore yesterday, and grinning up at me.

'Good morning sleepy, how were the dreams?' he asked, pulling me on top of him and gazing at my face.

'Quiet because there weren't any.' I grinned 'how was your night?'

'Pleasant.' He smiled, kissing the top of my head. We lay there for a minute, me thinking about how lucky I was to have someone like Edward, and by the look on his face, he was remembering his night. I didn't think he'd stay though, I mean watching someone sleep isn't exactly interesting.

'Are we still going out today?' I asked, climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

'Of course, I have everything planned.'

'Have you changed your mind about telling me where we're going?' I asked, putting on my angel face.

'Don't give me that look! It's hard enough to refuse you what you want normally, but when you put on a face like that.' He grimaced, hiding his face with his hands. 'I'm not telling you by the way.'

'Fine.' I said, throwing one of my t-shirts at him. The last thing I heard before I went into the bathroom was him laughing. I stepped into the shower, sighing slightly as the warm water relaxed and thawed out my frozen skin. Not that I complained, I would rather freeze to death than miss out on that happening again. My peach shampoo calmed me, as I got into a sudden panic about Edward's plans for us today. I wondered where he would take me, and what I would have to wear before realizing there was no need for panic, Edward would take good care of me.

I stepped out of the shower and dressed quickly in the clothes I grabbed on my way out. They were simple, just a pair of skinny jeans, a black t-shirt and my converses; I could grab a coat or jacket if I needed one on the way out. Looking down at myself, I couldn't help but smile, Alice would kill me if she found out what I was wearing.

I walked back into the bedroom, to find that Edward wasn't there. I paused for a moment, listening out for him, when I heard the sound of plates being put on the table downstairs. When I got there, Charlie was just outing breakfast down, with Emmett glancing up at me from the side of his magazine. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

'Morning dad, Emmett.' I said, going into the fridge for orange juice. I couldn't help but notice Emmett watching my every move from the corner of his eye. I felt the blood drain form my face as I remembered that Emmett didn't sleep, and he had amazing hearing. He would know exactly what happened last night, and would explain why he looked ready to kill.

'Morning sweetheart, I would've made you breakfast, but I didn't know what time you'd be up.' Charlie said sheepishly.

'That's fine dad, I didn't want to get poisoned this morning anyway, I have things to do.' I grinned, he didn't deny it.

'Like what?' Emmett said quickly.

'Just going out.' I shrugged, getting the pancake mix from the top cupboard and beginning to cook.

'With who? What time will you be back? Do I know this person?' Emmett said quickly. One look at Charlie and we both burst out laughing. 'What?' he asked.

'Emmett, who is her father?' Charlie laughed.

'Whatever, are you going to answer my questions Bella?'

'When I've eaten.' He simply growled at me.

I ate as slowly as I could, hoping that Edward would come and save me somehow. The liar, he said he'd be here when we were explaining to my over protective big brother, but no, he has to disappear when I need him most!

'Okay.' Emmett said as I put my plate in the sink 'Who are you going out with today?'

'I-' the doorbell rang, saving me from an awkward conversation. I ran off to answer it, struggling a little with the stiff lock, but as son as I pulled the door open it was worth it. Edward stood there in the doorway, not a care in the world as he grinned at me. I just glared back, which didn't faze him as he threw his arm around me and walked us into the kitchen, chuckling at my half-angry, half-perplexed expression. As we got in, Charlie choked on his orange juice and Emmett tried to keep the grin off his face long enough to give Edward a warning glare. This was going to be worse than I thought.

'Good morning Emmett, chief Swan. Bella and I are going to spend the day together, probably going to the city or something like that, I hope that's alright.' His voice was smooth like velvet; there was no way that Charlie could resist.

'Bella? Are you alright with this boy?'

'You can trust him dad, as do I' I said, detecting the hidden meaning in his words.

'Alright, well you kids have a good time. And Bella, behave yourself, I mean it.' He warned, going out of the kitchen and out to his car. When the front door slammed Emmett spoke.

'Where are you going really?'

'It's a surprise, I don't want to tell Bella yet.'

'Yes I'm familiar with the term "surprise"'

'Emmett...' I warned. He took a deep breath and carried on

'I want to know where you're going.'

'Fine.' Edward began speaking so softly and quickly that I didn't have a chance of hearing, though Emmett did, and nodded his head in resignation. I sighed, he would never be happy with my choice of boyfriend, no matter who I chose.

'Alright, Bella, no later than 6.' He warned as I walked off, annoyed that he knew where I was going and I didn't.

'Fuck you Emmett.' I said, sprinting to the front door before he realized what I had said. Once outside, I sat on the bonnet of Edward's Volvo, waiting for him to come outside. For a vampire, he didn't half take his time.

'A little impatient are we?' he said from behind, making me gasp and almost fall off the car. 'Steady.' He laughed. He helped me into the car, and didn't speak until we were halfway down the road.

'Where are we going?' I asked, looking for some kind of clue out of the window.

'That's for me to know and you to find out.' He chuckled.

'Hmph.' I said, folding my arms and pouting, hoping that would sway him. It just made him laugh though, but he wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my hair to make me feel better. Damn him, it totally worked.

After about 30 minutes of driving, we pulled up to a trail by the forest. Grinning slightly that I had actually worn the right shoes for once, I attempted to open the door and step out, but Edward was much faster. In a few seconds, he held the door open for me, and helped me get out. I raised my eyebrows at him.

'What? That was how I was raised, to treat a beautiful young lady properly.' He grinned.

'Okay...'

'No complaints babe.' He grinned, taking me by the hand and leading me to the edge of the forest. 'By the way, we aren't taking the trail'

'Why does that not surprise me?' I sighed, running into the forest and pulling him with me whilst he chuckled at my sudden enthusiasm.

I wasn't scared, though the forest was dark and claustrophobic, and occasional rustling in the trees made me feel like we weren't alone. None of that mattered, as Edward's hand was firm and cool around mine, occasionally squeezing it when something made me jump. I turned round to him, and he gave me a gorgeous crooked smile that I loved instantly. How could he ever be meant for me though? Bella Swan, the teenage spy with a disturbing history could never be destined to be with Edward Cullen, the good vampire who changed who he was meant to be just because he wanted to a good person. The thought made my heart and stomach sink, and my hand become slack.

'Are you alright?' he asked, alarmed. 'I can carry you if you're tired.' He smiled.

'I'm fine, why don't you lead the way now.' I smiled, hoping he was convinced. He didn't look it, but nevertheless did as I asked; occasionally turning around to make sure I was okay, and giving me a reassuring smile.

'Don't panic okay?'

'What do you mean?' a sudden flash and he was gone; of course I panicked. I span around, looking for him frantically. 'Edward?' I called out.

'I said don't panic.' A soothing voice came from behind me, and cold hands stroked my face in assurance. I sighed in relief, yesterday's vampire attack had made me extremely jumpy, and leaving me in the middle of the forest wasn't such a good idea. 'Again, don't panic.' Cool hands came over my face and covered my eyes, nothing to panic about 'just walk forward. Don't worry, I wont let you fall.' He said, kissing my cheek gently. I did as he asked walking forward, never bothering about whether or not I was going to fall, Edward would help me whether I deserved it or not – it was just the way he was.

It took about 5 minutes, but eventually I felt the sun warming up my cold cheek, and Edward's hands becoming slack on my eyes. I blinked a little, trying to get used to the sudden brightness, but gasped when everything came into focus. We were in a beautiful meadow. A waterfall made a calming splashing sound as it fell into a calm pool at the far end of the meadow, whilst wildflowers and blossom trees grew around the large patch of grass in the middle. I stared in awe, thankful that he had kept this a secret – it was a lovely shock. I turned to Edward, only to get another beautiful shock.

'Are you afraid?' he whispered, stroking my cheek gently.

'No, just extremely jealous.' I whispered, making him chuckle. His skin in the sun was astounding. He shone like diamonds, making him look even more breathtaking and beautiful that ever. 'You look gorgeous Edward.'

'Nowhere near as much as you.'

'Don't go getting all cheesy on me now Eddie boy, _that _is what I can stand and am afraid of.'

He simply chuckled at me 'Fine, you're fit as fuck as those jeans make your butt look good.'

'Better!'

He laughed and rolled his eyes at me. Suddenly, he picked me up and held me in his arms bridle style, though it happened so quick I screamed. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back in the soft grass next to Edward, who grinned at me hugely.

'Jerk.'

'You love me really.'

'You're still a jerk.'

'But I'm _your _jerk.'

'Can't argue with that.' I shrugged.

'He laughed and put his arm around me, pressing his face into my neck and inhaling deeply. I shivered at his touch, not because he was fucking freezing, but he made me feel so electric and sensitive. I stroked his bronze hair gently, reveling in the feel of him, his scent all over me and his perfect body pressed gently into my side. I grinned to myself evilly, deciding that I wanted so much more than this. I pushed his head away, ignoring the hurt look on his face as I moved away from him. Just as he was about to speak, I jumped on him, straddling his waist with my legs and grinning down at him.

'And there I was beginning to panic that you didn't want me.' He said, shaking his head. I grabbed it firmly and held it in place, brining my lips down to his, teasing him a little at my slow pace. He growled and brought my head to his face, crashing his lips against mine, cold against hot. His tongue caressed my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth to deepen the kiss. He wasn't gentle, but I never wanted him to be; his hands gripped my thighs his fingers making small circles, getting ever higher which made me moan slightly into his mouth. I removed one hand from his face and brought it to his chest, whilst the other slid into his hair, gripping it slightly as his hands came to the top of my leg, any higher and I'd have some serious control problems. He broke away to grin at me.

'Having fun?' he teased.

'Edward Cullen I'm going to kill you for stopping that.' I growled.

'Patience babe, I just don't think we should go any further, at least not here and now.'

'Tell me you're not scared.'

'No, I just want to do things properly, and God help me I will Bella, even if I have to face your frightening hormonal wrath.' He grinned. I had the sudden urge to wipe the grin off his face with my lips, but decided to play hard to get if he was going to be like this. 'Don't be like that babe, I just want to do things right with you.' He almost begged.

'Don't call me babe!' I shouted, jumping off his lap and sitting away from him, suddenly remembering something I shouldn't have forgotten.

'What's wrong?!' he asked in a panic, coming towards me slowly, though I know it killed him to do it. I felt awful for hurting Edward, God I'm a bitch 'Bella, come on tell me what's up.' He put his arm around me gently, probably thinking it was the intimacy that had hurt me.

'Nothing. It's just that that's what my ex-boyfriend used to call me, and I'm still in the process of getting over him.'

'Do you not want to continue with our relationship?' he whispered.

'What?! Of course I want to! It's just that's what Caleb used to call me, and it still hurts. This has nothing to do with us Edward, I'm completely sure of my feelings for you, you just can't call me babe.'

'What should I call you?'

'Not Bel, and not babe, at least not yet.'

'Is love alright?'

'That's fine.' I smiled.

'Well then love, I think we should carry on where we left off.' With a chuckle and a growl, he came lunged at me, and I decided that meadows were seriously underrated.

**So there you have it peeps :D**

**Yeah it wasn't as good as the others, but guaranteed that things will start getting better in the next chapter... ;)**

**Review please, I really want to know what people think ******


	13. Strange Happenings

'So...it's getting warmer huh?'

'Spit it out Em.'

'I don't know what you're talking about!'

'Ugh.'

It had been 2 weeks since Edward took me to the meadow, and things with us were getting stronger. He still stayed over every night, much to Emmett's annoyance, and we spent most of our time together. Needless to say that things with Caleb were no longer an issue, I had the man of dreams now, and from what I heard he was dating too. So, maybe there is such a thing as a happy ending after all. Unfortunately for me though, I had an overprotective big brother to deal with, who was in the middle of interrogating me about my relationship with Edward. Kind of ruins the romance if your big brother won't take his watchful eye off you.

'Alright, I think you and I should have a little chat about your relationship with Edward.' Emmett blurted out, making me drop my spoon on the table and glare at him.

'Here we go.'

'Look Bella, are you sure this is what you want? I mean, you're only 17, it's not as though you need a permanent boyfriend yet!'

'You're only 19, yet you're getting married in a few months time. Oh wait, does Charlie know about this yet? I wonder what he'll say...'

'You wouldn't dare!' he snarled

'Watch me.'

'Fine, but we're going to talk about this young lady!'

'Fuck Em, I know what I want, and if this doesn't work out, then it'll be my problem wont it?'

'Whatever.' He grumbled, just as the front door slammed.

'Morning dad, how was...dad?'

Charlie walked into the kitchen like he wasn't really there. His rain-soaked clothes made droplets on the linoleum, and his boots squeaked, as he hadn't taken them off. One look at him told me there was something seriously wrong.

'Fuck dad what happened?' Emmett said, jumping up to make sure he wasn't hurt.

'Emmett, can you leave us please, I need to speak to Bella alone.'

'You can say it front of Em dad, I don't mind. Can you just _please _tell me what happened _before _I go crazy?' I said. His eyes turned to me, and they were full of uncertainty, like he didn't know what to say. This was so not like Charlie.

'There's been an...animal attack, out in the forest next to Forks high. Someone's been killed; well, mutilated might be a better word for it.' He added, muttering 'Bella, there's no easy way to tell you this, but it was Brian who got killed.'

I swear my eyesight went funny for a moment, the whole room seemed to sway a little in this new, disturbing information Charlie had just given me. Brian was dead. Not only dead, but mutilated by some creature near my fucking high school! I didn't know what to think or how to feel, so I settled with angry.

'What the fuck was he doing out there?!' I shouted.

'We don't know, but he had identification on him, so at least you don't have to examine him.' He said gently.

'That's supposed to make feel better?!'

'I'm sorry Bella. Bel?'

I ran from the room, as the grief overtook me. I heard Charlie and Emmett shouting me, but I didn't pay any attention to them. I just can't believe that Brian had been killed in such a way! I flung my bedroom door open and crashed on the bed, sobbing into the pillow. Sure Brian hadn't been such a nice guy, but he had been there when I needed someone the most, we had cried each other to sleep and kept each other going through the numb pain and heartbreak over losing my mom. Somehow, it felt as though I had lost a very important person, someone I loved, even if he had hated me at the end.

The bedroom door creaked open, and light footsteps came over to my bed, dipping it slightly as they say beside me. I breathed in their fresh, clean scent as they took me into their arms and rocked me backwards and forwards soothingly. Through the tears, Emmett's blurry form came into shape, but I couldn't make any details out.

'Its okay honey, I'm here for you.'

'Stay with me.' I mumbled

'Sure thing.'

He must've sat with me for hours, I don't know, it didn't matter. I hated feeling like this again, the sick feeling of loss, where you're stomach drops and everything seems distant and far away. Yeah maybe he wasn't the greatest guy on earth, but he was the closest thing I had to a family for almost a year, and you cant say that didn't affect me.

'Bella?' Emmett finally said, some four hours later 'Bella honey, do you want me to get you something?'

'Can you call Edward?' I whispered.

'Sure, let me know if you want anything else okay?' I nodded my head 'Okay, I'll see you later, but call me if you need anything and I'll be straight back.'

I relaxed a little after I heard my bedroom door slam, and Emmett starting to talk on his cell phone. I leaned back onto my pillows and looked up at Cedric on the ceiling.

'Well Cedric.' I whispered 'Look's like you're not the only one with magic and the supernatural in your life anymore.' I sat up and shook my head. Great, now I'm talking to a poster on the ceiling. I absentmindedly plucked the black bedspread as I thought about Brian. I knew this was no animal attack; it must've been a vampire, like the one who tried to kill me just a few weeks ago. I gave a small shudder, but nevertheless tried to get my head around everything. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that when I felt a cool breath on the back of my neck I shrieked and fell off the bed.

'Steady Bell, it's only me, don't panic.' Edward said, trying to keep the grin off his face long enough to pick me up and put me back on the bed. 'How are you feeling sweetheart?'

'Better.' I said as he kissed my neck and lay beside me. 'I just can't believe this has happened.' I buried my face in Edward's neck and inhaled deeply, trying to numb my senses so I wouldn't have to think about grossly unpleasant things.

'Good, I'm just so sorry this has happened baby. Baby's alright, right?'

'You can call me anything now Edward, it isn't an issue. And yeah I know, do you think...well...'

'Babe you can tell me anything you know that, just say it.'

'Do you think it was a vampire?' I felt him stiffen in response to my words, and my heart started beating faster. What if I offended him, would he forgive me? 'I'm sorry; it's just after what happened a few weeks ago-'

'Hey, hey, don't worry! I'm not angry, I just can't help but panic when there's something loose out there and you're out in the middle of it.' He shuddered 'You don't know how much I panic when I'm away from you, you don't know how much it would kill me if I lost you!'

'I understand Edward, really I do.'

'But you can't!' his voice was almost pleading, and it killed me to see him like this 'Bella if I lost you I would die, please let me keep you safe!'

'I will baby, I just can't believe he's gone.' I whispered, my eyes starting to tear up again.

'I'm so sorry Bella.' He whispered, rocking me backwards and forwards. I knew from his protecting embrace, that this was where I belonged.

*

The driveway rushed past me, a streaky haze of green, as I drove up to the Cullen house the next morning. Edward had been his usual gentlemanly self, not leaving me until 8:00am this morning, after an intense crying/make out session last night. Yeah I have some issues, but I got the perfect man to help see me through it. So anyway, I looked at my phone this morning to see that Alice had summoned me to her place, God knows what for, I dread to think.

As I pulled up to the garage, Emmett lifted the door up with one hand, and grinned at me as I backed into the garage beside Jasper's Ferrari and Alice's Porsche. Well, at least I fit in with my love of fast, expensive cars I thought to myself, grinning slightly.

'Morning Em.' I said, kissing him on the cheek as I stepped out of the car and headed up to the door.

'Hey, so do you know why Alice wanted you to come?'

'Not a clue.'

'Good.' He murmured, throwing his arm around me.

'What was that?'

'Nothing honey.'

We walked into the living room, where Alice, Edward and Carlisle were sat on the couch having an intense discussion, Rosalie was stood staring absentmindedly out of the window, Jasper looked...well, kinda depressed, and Esme just sat watching her hands twist and turn in her lap. All in all, not a very happy sight. Esme stood up and walked quickly towards me when I walked in.

'Bella, I'm so glad you came.' She said, kissing me on the cheek 'Not a very pleasant reason for your visit, but nevertheless you're needed here. You're part of this family now, and we want to involve you in absolutely everything.' She smiled genuinely, but I wasn't paying much attention.

'What's happened?' I said quickly, hugging Esme and running over to Edward, who pulled me into his arms and stroked my hair soothingly.

'Don't worry Bella, nothing's happened, we're just trying to figure out what's going on here.' Carlisle said, his usually calm face filled with stress and worry.

'Have you got any ideas, I could help if you like, I'm pretty good at sneaking around.'

'I don't think so! I told you, I don't want you to be unprotected, but going out to actually find these people, you've got to be joking me Bella!' he said incredulously.

'He's right Bella, you can't do anything stupid or reckless, at least not in Forks, and at least not yet.' Alice warned.

'What do you mean you're good at sneaking around?! Bella, is there something you want to tell me?!' Emmett roared, making me jump back, Edwards's arms coming around me even tighter.

'Yes Emmett, we _really _need to talk later.' Ah hell.

'Back to the matter at hand, do we think this is other vampires in town?' Carlisle said 'I mean Edward said it was a vampire who attacked Bella.'

'It was, but a vampire would have drained Brian, and he still had most of his blood left. Besides, vampires wouldn't be so messy with them, he was practically mutilated.' Edward snapped 'Shit, I'm so sorry Bella.' He moaned, kissing my hair as I whimpered.

'No, it wasn't a vampire, I would have seen that' Alice said with a dreamy look on her face.

'So who or what was it?' I asked

'We don't know, but we're going to find out, I promise.' Edward said.

'Bella?' Rosalie said from the corner, her voice sounding sad. 'Can we talk?'

'Of course Rosalie.' I said, stepping out of Edwards arms and walking towards the door. I heard his intake of breath as I left him, so I stopped 'I'll be fine.'

I followed her out of the house, down the front steps and into the forest surrounding the Cullen's house. We walked for a few minutes before she came to a stop in the middle of a clearing, where I had some _very _happy memories.

'Okay Rose, what's up?' I asked, sitting down on the grass with my legs folded. She looked at me warily, then did the same.

'Bella I'm so sorry for what I said to you the other day, I was just so upset!' she held up a hand as I went to say something 'Please don't say anything, I just need to get this off my chest' I nodded my head and waved my hand for her to continue. 'When you went kind of...angry the other week, I just got so mad that you would think that of Emmett. I _thought _you were going to hate him for what he was, so that's why I yelled at you. I'm so sorry Bella; I honestly do want you in our family, which would make me so happy!'

'Me too Rose, I always wanted a sister.' I grinned at her.

'Now you have two!'

'Sweet!'

We stood up and hugged each other before heading back up to the house, still giggling at our stupidity and embarrassment. When we got back in, all anxious eyes were on us, and we were suddenly reminded of the grave matters at hand.

'Anything?' I asked, going to sit next to Edward. I ran my hand through his hair gently, as he looked totally stressed out; he gave me a small kiss on the lips before sighing and shaking my head. I couldn't wipe off the look of fear on my face before he saw it.

'Hey, hey don't worry, alright? I won't let anything happen to you. We'll figure this out soon enough, and in the mean time you're going to have good protection.'

'I'm not worried for myself.' I whispered.

'How did I know you would say something like that?' he groaned.

'Alice, anything?' Carlisle said suddenly, as Alice's gaze seemed to glaze, and I knew that she no longer saw the room she was stood in.

'Alice baby, what do you see?' Jasper asked softly. I jumped as Edward gave a shocked gasp, and his hands became firmer on my waist, pressing me tighter into his chest.

'No, no, no. That can't happen Alice it just can't!' Edward cried, burying his face in my neck 'It's not true, I won't let it happen!'

'We can change it Edward, the future isn't set in stone.' Alice said gently, her focus becoming clearer 'We'll do all we can'

'You'd better fucking believe it!'

'Edward!' Esme scolded 'Don't talk like that!'

'You'd be speaking like that if you saw what I just did!' he roared.

'Edward calm down, please.' I whispered to him, making him become quieter, though nowhere near less scared or angry 'I can probably guess what you saw, and I promise I'll keep myself safe.'

'Thankyou.' He whispered back, kissing my neck gently.

'Alice, what did you see?' Emmett asked warily.

'I don't really want to talk about it right now Emmett.' And that's when I got pissed. I'm just so sick of people treating me like a) I'm not there, and b) I'm not old enough to understand. Well fuck that shit.

'She saw my death Emmett, most likely a gruesome one by the same people who killed Brian. Edward freaked cos he doesn't want me to die, and Alice didn't want to talk about it in fear of a nervous breakdown by me.' Everyone stared at me in shock, not expecting my sudden pissed off outburst. Edward gazed at me with doe eyes, filled with dread and loss, it was a sickening look, like something from Bambi; it fucking broke my heart 'Don't look like that babe, I'll be fine, just focus on finding these guys and keeping your family safe, that's all that matters to me.'

'You are my family Bella, and I'll b damned – no pun intended – if I'm going to let whoever this is get near you.'

'Bella, I think we should head off, I think the Cullen's need time to talk.' Emmett said, his face paler than usual, and his eyes heavy with fear and dread 'Besides, I think you and I should have a little talk about your safety as well, and you better not fucking run off this time.' He growled

'Wait! I think I should be there when you're setting protection and rules out for Bella.' Edward said suddenly, jumping up and taking me back into his arms.

'What has it got to do with you?' he sneered.

'Emmett!' I snarled

'It's okay babe.' Edward said to me before turning back to Emmett 'Look Em, you and I are good friends, and you're just going to have to accept that Bella and I are together now. This isn't just some little fling; this is the real deal, just like you and Rose. Now, you can either be supportive, or you can ignore the sister you've been away from these past 11 years.' I grinned up at him; now _that _was _my _man!

'We're going to discus it tonight Edward, be at ours in 15 minutes, or we're doing it without you.' He said, flinging an arm around my shoulder and practically dragging me away from Edward.

'Jeez man I never asked for 2 fathers!' I said, as everyone laughed behind me.

'I'm just looking out for you, I don't want you to get hurt.;

'What if I said that about you and Rose?' I grinned as I jumped into his huge monster Jeep; it was the only way I could get up, much to his amusement.

'I'd most likely ignore you.' He laughed

We drove back to the house in silence, though I saw him giving me glances out of the corner of his eye, and there were times when I thought her was going to say something, but he never did. We had pulled up outside the house, parked up and walked into the kitchen before he decided to break the silence.

'Look Bells I-'

'Didn't think you'd start without me did you?' a velvet voice said from the window. I turned to see Edward jumping in effortlessly through the front window, frowning slightly as he approached the table where we were sat. 'Do you think it's such a good idea to leave your window wide open like that?'

'I'm not bothered by anyone who would be deterred by a locked window or door.' I said

'Fair point' he shrugged 'So, Emmett, would you like to start?' I watched in amusement as Emmett's face became more and more angry, as Edward picked up my hand, entwined it with his and kissed it gently. Ah the joys of watching your older brother freak out about you being romantic with your – vampire – boyfriend.

'Right, well now Mr. Smooth has joined us, I suppose we better get this started.'

'Can't wait'

'Right. Anyway, I don't think you should you should go anywhere without a vampire to escort you, no arguments. You will spend all day at school with us, and Edward will listen into the minds of people in your class, and Alice will be watching your future-'

'What's the point in watching my future if all she sees is me dead?' I growled'

'That isn't all she sees Bella.' Edward said with a sad smile on his face 'That's only one outcome, she sees others as well. For example, she saw us protecting you, and you being safe until the time came to-'

'Edward Cullen you stop right there!' Emmett roared, standing up with his fists clenched.

'Emmett what the hell?! He can tell me whatever he wants. Go on Edward.'

'No I cant; I think I'd better be going. I'll be back later though.' He added in a whisper as my face went from angry to sad.

'I don't think so you fucking perv, stay the hell away from my sister whilst she's sleeping!'

'What the hell are you going to do about it Emmett? Shit all that's fucking what!'

'Shut your fucking mouth Edward, don't think I don't know why you want my sister, and don't start with all the true love crap!'

'We are in love!'

'Yeah, and I'm human!'

'Both of you just shut up!!' I screamed, my eyes sparkling with tears 'I might die, and all you two are bothered about is trying to be the bigger man. I fucking sick of you arguing, it seems like that's all you've done since Edward and I got together. Until both of you stop being so pathetic, I don't want to see either of you!' I shouted, running from the room and slamming my bedroom door behind me. They could have easily caught up, but they left me to my thoughts, for which I was grateful. I slammed into my pillow, gradually drifting towards unconsciousness as sleep took me. The last thing I remember is hearing the door creak open, and someone brushing the hair from my face as everything went black.


	14. Worst Part Of The Job

**Okay here it is my new chapter, woohoo! (Yeah I'm sad, I really don't care!) By the way, pictures of outfits, cars and extra people are on my profile, take a look! Plus who I pictured Caleb to look like… take a look!**

**SHALL I MAKE A SEQUAL, AN EDWARDS VERSION, OR JUST LEAVE THE STORY ONCE I'VE FINISHED IT??? POLL ON MY PROFILE!!!**

**Yeah sorry to put that in bold, but I really want people to read that, and sometimes they just skip it okay? :D**

**I had to put this one in because, as someone mentioned, there's hardly anything to do with Bella's job right? **_**Hopefully**_** this should answer any of your questions, but if not, feel free to review and ask me there okay?**

**Okay I'll leave you to it :)**

_Beep Beep!_

Ah hell, I'm not ready to get up; my dream was just so freaking good! So Edward and I had been on the beach, him sparkling like diamonds in the hot July sun, whilst the waves crashed on the beach in front of us. There was no-one else, just us alone; free to do whatever we wanted. Yeah, let's just say the dream had got to a very interesting place…

_Beep Beep! _

'Fuck you bastard alarm clock.' I growled, grabbing the knife I kept under the bed and slamming it down on the goddamn alarm clock. Ah sweet revenge. Sitting up slowly, I realized that it was _way_ too early to be getting up, and that it was still dark out – maybe 3/4 o clock in the morning. I ran a hand through my hair and stretching, wondering what the hell made me want to get up this early on a Saturday morning. Whilst I looked around for some jogging clothes, I thought back to the night it almost went wrong…

'_Hold up there little girl, I think you and I need to have a little chat.' Emmett said, cutting me off before I had a chance to escape up the stairs, which he was now blocking. 'Care to tell me where you've been?'_

'_Nope.' I said quickly, slightly panicking. _

_I had just been out to do some observation work, Cathy had wanted me to follow a guy she though had something to do with the multiple bomb threats we had received in the last week. Of course I did what she said, though it hadn't been easy sneaking out of the house with Emmett and Edward constantly guarding me. However, I managed to trick them (God knows how I managed _that_), and drove off to Seattle, where I did my nights work. _

'_Bella, I warned you about your safety! You can't just run off to go shopping when we're in the middle of a safety emergency, one that mainly includes you. Honestly Bells, sometimes I think there's something you're not telling me…'_

'_Like what?'_

'_I don't know.' He admitted grudgingly, ushering me into the living room and gesturing for me to sit down on the sofa. 'You have all that money, you sneak around, you act shifty, and sometimes you get weird phone calls and have to leave the room. If there's something going on Bells I'd like to know.' _

_It was really hard to resist him, especially when I knew he had my best interests at heart. He was only looking out for me, and wanted to help me; but I knew he couldn't, there was just no way I could let him in on my burden, because that's what it is. To be a spy means to be alone, never letting anyone get close to you just in case everything backfires and you end up losing all that you hold close. Edward was a different story, he already knew what I did, to some extent, but Emmett was the opposite, I couldn't just tell him, not under these circumstances. So, as much as it hurt me to do it, I had to lie to him._

'_Em I think you're being ridiculous! The money is from Brian and mom's will, you should know, you got some too! And as for the sneaking around and the phone calls, I'm a teenage girl, it's what I do!'_

'_But-'_

'_No buts Emmett, I explained everything, do you think there's anything wrong with my explanation now?' I sighed, faking impatience. _

'_What about the house then? You and that guy bought a house, how the hell can you afford to do that? I know you got left money, but nowhere near enough for that!'_

'_Caleb, his parents are mega-rich, he paid for most of it, whilst I chipped in so that I had some claim to it. Honestly Emmett, you're working yourself up over nothing, there's nothing strange about my behavior, it's just your imagination!' I laughed, heading for the stairs._

'_So where have you been tonight then?' oh crap_

'_Shopping, like you said, I was trying to find an outfit seeing as though_ someone _decided he was going to get married.'_

'_But it's only December!'_

'_I like the winter fashions' I said quickly 'anyway, I'm going to bed, I'm pretty tired after your interrogation. Night Em.'_

'_Night Bells.'_

_With that I ran up the stairs, eager to be away from Emmett and his goddamn questions. I slammed the door and slid down it onto the floor, the tears running down my face silently. This was the worst part of the job, lying about it to the people you love. Having Edward know to some extent was a breath of relief, as I think it would've killed me to keep something this big from him. I felt a cold breeze on my legs, and the next thing I knew I was sat on the bed in Edward's arms. _

'_Is there no other way?' he whispered, kissing my hair gently._

'_No, I can't tell him, at least not yet. God what am I going to do when he finds out Edward?'_

'_He's going to accept you for who you are, just like you did for him.'_

'_He'd better do.' I growled, as Edwards's musical chuckle soothed me into a deep sleep._

Shaking my head, I pulled the sweatshirt over my head and grabbed the car keys from the table. The reason I had to be up early, I remembered, was because I had an early meeting at Zeiracorp. After the numerous death threats, we decided this was enough, and this morning was all about putting our information together, tracking down, and finally stopping these people.

Emmett and Edward had gone hunting with the others with the others this weekend. Of course they were _not _pleased about having to leave, but Alice assured them she would keep and eye on my future. Basically, that meant I couldn't do any funny business whilst they were away. Well fuck that. I opened the window quickly, and jumped out before I realized how cold it was and slipped back into bed. The landing was no problem, as it was only two stories, and I had plenty of good and bad experiences of how to and to jump out of windows. I knew Charlie was at work, and by the time he got back in it wouldn't be unusual for my car to be gone. Grinning slightly at how well things had worked out for me, I slipped into the car and backed out of the driveway, all the way checking to see if someone had stayed behind to keep an eye on me. There was no need though, by the time I crossed the border of Forks, there was still no sign of me being followed. I couldn't help but grin like a fool at my luck.

_Down to you,_

_You're pushing and pulling me down to you,_

_But I don't know what I _

I knew my luck wouldn't hold! I picked up the phone from the passenger seat and snuck a quick glance at caller I.D before throwing it back. I should've known Alice was keeping an extra close eye on me, damn her and her pixie-like ways. I kept my eyes firmly on the road ahead, as she called back not once, but 15 times in the space of 30 minutes! She finally pissed me off so much that I turned it off and threw it into the backseat. I could call her later, once she realized there was nothing to worry about.

I pulled into the parking lot, where Erik the night guard was waiting for me. I kinda felt bad, as he had been waiting for me to arrive so that he could end his shift; though I laughed a little when I remembered that I used to find him incredibly hot, funny how getting a gorgeous vampire boyfriend can change your opinion on things! I gave him a smile and a wave as I walked past him, which he returned happily. Walking into the building, I could tell immediately something was wrong.

Armed guards were situated around the front entrance, and I had to show my I.D before they let me anywhere near the elevators; for this I was grateful, it made one less thing to worry about. Kelly, the receptionist, looked terrified bless her. Her hands were gripping the table, her eyes darted around the foyer, and she jumped at the slightest noise. She looked nothing like the annoying Barbie she had been a few weeks ago.

'Kelly?' I said, approaching the table 'You alright honey?'

'I'm fine Miss Swan, just a little jumpy. This threat has scared the hell out of me.' She said nervously.

'Relax, okay? I'm going to keep an eye on things now I'm here, and I'll be damned if I let anyone carry out these pathetic threats. Understand?'

'Yes ma'am.'

'Can you send a message up to Cathy and tell her I'll be in the gym for an hour before the meeting starts? I'll probably be sent out, and I haven't done any proper exercise in too long.'

'I will ma'am, is there anything else you'd like me to do?'

'No that will be fine for the minute, but let me know if there's any important information coming through on the computers alright?'

'Understood Miss Swan.'

'Good. And Kelly, don't worry about these threats, we'll have it sorted in no time.' I smiled, and made my way down to the basement gym, deciding on the last minute to take the stairs. After all these weeks of being held hostage by my brother and boyfriend and being injured, I had neglected to do any serious exercise. Come to think of it, I hadn't done anything remotely spy related for the past few weeks! Damn Emmett and his hawk eyes.

I turned the treadmill onto the fastest it would go, and planned to test my limits. My iPod blared Paramore – Ignorance, but the lyrics just didn't seem to sink in. All I could think of was Alice and Edward and how worried they must be right now. With a sinking feeling, I realized that I must die, or be injured tonight, or else Alice would have called as many times as she did; I'll bet anything Edward was on his was back to Forks right this minute. I turned my music down and pulled my cell out of my jacket pocket, which I had retrieved before coming into the building. I took a deep breath before switching it back on, and praying there was nothing too serious or threatening in the messages most likely left there; as the fears all came to me in a sudden rush, the treadmill just didn't seem fast enough, like in dreams when you're trying to get away from someone, but your legs just wont move fast enough, and they always end up catching up to you.

When it eventually turned on, I groaned, as I had another 30 missed calls, from Edward, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Rose and Carlisle; there were another 14 messages on my message bank as well, but I decided I would deal with them later. Taking another huge breath - I swear this treadmill is doing nothing! - and pressed the green call button when I had highlighted Edward's number. Of course, he answered of the first ring.

'Bella, where the hell are you?! Alice is having weird visions concerning you! Oh God, I _knew _I should've stayed behind with you!'

'Edward stop! I'm fine alright? I'm at work, there's a bit of an emergency, I won't go into detail right now.'

'Bella you're killing me here!' he groaned 'Just a second Emmett!' he hissed. All I could hear in the background was Emmett demanding to talk to me. And, by the sound of his cursing, he was more than pissed that I didn't do what he had instructed me too.

'Look, I'm fine alright? Wait, what exactly does Alice see?'

'She sees you going to a dark building across a river, then getting shot in the chest as you try and run from a dark figure. But the vision is blurry, which means a decision concerning this vision hasn't been made yet.' He said, his voice thick with dread.

'Edward, I don't even know what's going on, let alone knowing if I'm going to be sent to some building across a river. Can you just leave me alone, I'm going to be fine, no matter what Alice sees. Her visions are subjective remember?'

'I don't want to take that risk' he whispered

'Well I am, I'll be fine, trust me on that.'

'Dammit Bella get your ass back home! For once in your life do as your life do as you're told!'

'Who the hell do you think you are Cullen? Bossing me around and telling me what to do like you fucking own me! Well here's a newsflash for you, you don't! Godammit, you gotta learn to trust me, even if you don't approve of the things I do. I've been in this job long enough to know what I'm doing, do you understand?'

'Yeah. But I'm not happy about this Bella, we're going to have to talk when I get back.'

'God you sound like my father! Goodbye Edward, nice talking to you.' I said coldly, stabbing the end call button and taking the battery out. There was no way in hell I as going to have a conversation like _that _anytime soon. I threw the phone into my bag and turned to the person I sensed standing behind me.

'Boyfriend not as understanding as you though he'd be?' my personal sunshine said with the hugest grin on his face.

'Caleb!' I squealed, flinging myself into his arms.

'Hey there babe, miss me?' he laughed, swinging me round in a circle.

'Or course!' I laughed 'How about you? Dating yet?'

'I tried, it just aint the same.' He whispered, kissing my hair 'But anyway, how are you? I can tell you haven't been exercising in a while; you always feel guilty after and go about a hundred miles an hour on the treadmill!'

'Shut up.' I muttered, grabbing my bag from the floor and taking my best friends arm as we walked to the elevators. 'So, you've been summoned in on Weaver's orders as well I see. At least there's someone else I know, if I'm surrounded by those surly security guards in a meeting that'll last God knows how long I may kill myself.'

'Like I'd let that happen!' he scoffed, pressing the button for the second to top floor after a string of passwords and identity checks.

'You may not have a choice after tonight.' I muttered.

'What the hell is that meant to mean?!' he roared, glaring at me. Fuck, I didn't realize he had heard that.

'My friend Alice, one of the vampires, is able to predict the future based on people decisions. She saw me getting shot in the chest tonight; which means that someone has made the choice to lure me somewhere and kill me. However, the vision was blurry, so there's a decision that hasn't been made yet.'

'It's just been made.' Caleb said with a blazing look on his face 'I'm not going to let you get shot Bella, so I'm going with you if we get sent out tonight, and I'll do everything I can to prevent that. I'll be damned if I let something happen to you whilst I'm around!' he said, stepping out of the elevators and shaking his head in denial.

'Cal…'

'Don't Bella! You can't just tell me that you're going to die tonight and expect me to just take it. I swear, sometimes you are so blind! And the worst thing is, your boyfriend called you to warn you, and you yelled at him! Jesus Bell, I think you better call him back and apologize, imagine how the poor guy would feel if you died!'

'I know, I just… can't bear the thought of never seeing him again you know?'

'I know what you mean, that's exactly how I would feel. Of course if it were you, I'd be tagging by you, never leaving your side until I knew there was no more threat.'

'Wait; are you with Edward or against him?'

'With. He sounds like a good guy, but not good enough that he's going to stick by you in your time of need.'

'You don't know him!' I whisper-yelled, coming to a stop outside the conference room 'Now, I'm going to get changed for the meeting, and call Edward. You get your little butt in there and cover for me, got it?'

'Still as stubborn as ever.' He grinned as I shoved him into the conference room and made my way down to my office. Already the place seemed bleaker, full of dread. We'd had threats like these before, but nothing to be taken seriously; now that there was an actual danger, the whole place got a whole new vibe, one that wasn't pleasant at all.

I entered the office and opened the wardrobe on the left hand said, cleverly disguised as a regular wall. I picked out the first thing I saw, which was a dress, which looked like a green silk top and a pencil skirt. .com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10001_18658_1122122_-1 It was one of my favorites, though I would never admit this to anyone else, especially not Alice. I slipped on my black CL Mary Janes 

Before putting the battery back in my phone. Sure enough, another 5 missed calls from Edward and Emmett. Hoping for forgiveness, I dialed the formers number, and waited for him to do his usual routine of snatching the phone up on the first ring.

'Bella? Why did you do that? Dammit girl you're making me crazy! Are you safe?'

'I'm fine Edward, I'm about to go into the meeting. Look, about what I said earlier, I'm really, really sorry, and I hope you can forgive me. Caleb made me realize that now is not the time to be arguing with you, and I should get my priorities right. He's going with me if we get sent out tonight, and he's going to keep an extra close eye out for danger, as will I. I promise you Edward, nothing is going to happen to me tonight.'

'I don't care, I'm still coming to Seattle to get you; we set off about an hour ago. We should be there in about 2 hours, do you think you can control yourself until then?'

'I'll be out by then, the meeting is only going to be short, and hopefully then we'll be sent out.'

'Bella!' he moaned.

'I'm sorry babe.'

'Caleb better keep an eye on you till I get there, that's all I'm saying. Oh and Bella, I'm going straight to the warehouse.'

'Alright Edward I get it! I'll talk to you later, I mean it.'

'Good luck. I love you'

'I love you too.'

I ended the call and put on a brave face before walking into the conference room, where all heads snapped up to meet mine. There were about 15 armed security guards around the table, which I just had to scoff at. All of us sat in this meeting either were spies, or had been in the past; that's what you do when you get to old to be a field agent, you manage everything, so of course you're in this for life, no matter what you might think. All the faces at the long mahogany table I recognized; Cathy, Caleb, guys from my team, guys from security, a few scientists from the labs, and our technicians. Well not all of them; hell I haven't even seen half of this building yet, let alone everyone who works here!

'Thankyou for joining us Bella, we were just discussing strategy for taking down the people behind these threats. We have information that they are basing themselves at an unknown company in New York City, but have dealings with a warehouse down by Cleat's river; we think this is where the threats and the bombs are being made. We were just wondering what our next course of action is.'

'We have to go after them!' one of the technicians said, banging his fist on the table. 'Dammit I could defuse a bomb with my eyes closed, but when we don't know where it is, or when it's going to explode…well lets just I say I cant predict the future.'

'I guess we're going to have to send out a team to this place them aren't we?' said Chantelle, one of our scientists. 'I mean we can't just ignore this when we don't know what's going to happen. Not that I want to send people out when we don't know what we're dealing with.'

'We're dealing with someone major here, someone who knows what he's doing. Only someone extremely experienced could get the details needed to break into this place, set up a bomb and then sneak back out again, all the while being unnoticed by the army that's been hired to guard this place like some fortress.' I said, though muttering the last part. 'I'll go and check this place out, and I'll call for back up if I need it.'

'No, I'm going with you.' Caleb said quickly.

'I'm perfectly capable Caleb.' I said through gritted teeth.

'No I think he's right, you should go with him. You two haven't fallen out have you? Wait, don't answer that, it doesn't matter. You two are going to this place, and I want a radio message in if you can't handle it, or there are too many guards. Understood?'

'Yes.' We chorused.

'Good, now, I think that is the meeting over. Caleb, Bella and Chantelle, you follow me, there's something I need to discuss with you.'

*

'I look ridiculous, and it's so freaking cold out here! I swear this factory just _had _to be beside a river didn't it, and in the middle of December as well! Look, my nipples are showing through this ridiculously tight top!' he grinned, pointing

'Caleb! Dammit boy I'm gonna kill you if you don't shut up!'

'Why are you complaining? You've seen _much _more than just my nipples…' he chuckled

'Caleb!'

'It's true, I remember the first time we…Bella put the gun down please.' He chuckled, wrestling me for it.

'I swear down you're so childish, and you're going to get us found! They could have sound detectors, but we wouldn't notice them because you're too busy talking about our past sex life and your freezing nipples!'

'Just making conversation baby.' He grinned, totally unrepentant.

'Whatever.' I said, trying to keep the grin off my face and failing miserably. 'Look lets just concentrate on getting down this bank carefully, and without causing any attention. The last thing we need is to be chased by some freaky person intent on blowing up Zeiracorp.'

'You're nervous about the whole vision Alice had aren't you?' I nodded my head 'Don't alright? We've been in situations far worse than this one, and we always came out alright.'

'Yeah, but I wasn't a specific target that time, it just feels awful knowing that I might be walking to my death.' I sighed, sounding a little ragged 'Caleb, if I die tonight, tell Edward the last thing I was thinking about was him, and how much I love him. You'll do that wont you?'

'I won't have to, because you're going to get out of here alive tonight if it kills me Bella.'

'Don't you dare say that!' I whisper-yelled.

There was no conversation for the next 15 minutes, in which we climbed up to a balcony above the bunker doors, that no doubt held a lot of very expensive, very illegal equipment. But that didn't matter, that wasn't what we were here for; we were here to kill or capture the guy behind these bomb plots, taking as many of the blueprints with us, and killing as many guards as we could. Cathy had told us not to be lenient with them, as they were never going to show us any mercy; and I hadn't planned too. If they wanted me dead, I'd get there first and take them out before they had a chance to scream for help. The climb up to the roof was another matter, as it was slippery with the damn Washington rain. I was literally jumping all over so that I wouldn't fall, though it was pretty damn hilarious when Caleb almost impaled himself on a bit of loose material that was sticking up from the uneven roof.

'Don't you laugh at me!' he whisper-yelled

'I can't help it, that was just too funny. Hey, watch my back, I'm going to take a closer look by that window, and see if I can find a way to get- hang on, you see that?'

'See what?'

'There's like a little unmanned window down there, I can easily it through it.'

'Oh no, you're not going anywhere alone, I made a promise! I swear to God Bella sometimes you are so freaking stupid!'

'Call me stupid again, and I'll stick this gun where the sun don't shine.' I growled, crawling a little closer to the window. I honestly didn't know why he was being so protective; I mean sure, I had a threat to my life, but it was nothing I couldn't handle! I was more scared of what Edward and the others were going through, as they didn't know the skill and determination I possessed.

Before Caleb had a chance to stop me, I jumped through the window and landed like a cat in some sort of passageway in the cold, bleak warehouse. Nothing around me seemed familiar, though I had the strangest feeling I had been here before…shaking my head of any stupid thoughts, I turned to see Caleb jumping in after me, shaking his head then slapping me around mine before we got closer and closer to our destiny.

*

An hour later we were back on the muddy bank, clutching the stolen blueprints and small stash of weapons we found in the room hidden behind the main loading part of the warehouse. The bag consisted of high-tech equipment, such as mini-detonators and ways to track our security systems. The blueprints had been pretty detailed too, and I knew the person behind this had obviously been sneaking around for a long time, anything up to a year! The strangest part was, that Caleb and I had been sneaking around for almost an hour, and the only security we met had traveled alone, which made it easy for us to take them down. Of course, he had practically shoved me out of the way and tried to handle it himself everytime he thought there was a danger, but he should know I don't allow things like that. And, working as a team, we had gotten in and out whilst making quite a dent in the number of armed guards they had…

'I think Alice may have overreacted!' Caleb grinned, peering inside the bag 'Still, it can't hurt to get out of here as quick as possible, just in case. You never know who might be around.' He said, giving extra wary glances into the forest around us that he wouldn't have usually have given.

'Sure thing, let me just put these things away and- Caleb get down!' as I stood up, I became aware of a shadow stood directly behind us, getting ever closer.

'No!' Caleb shouted, shoving me out of the way. And that's when it happened.

A gunshot went off, ringing through the empty, silent night creating echoes through the trees; it was a sound I knew that I would always remember. But the bullet never hit who it was supposed to hit, and the person it _did _get fell to the floor with a thump and a groan that made me feel physically sick. All I saw was red, as I drew my gun and shot down the man stood at the opposite end of where we were stood. I think he knew it was all over for him, as he made no attempt to run, I just shot him down and watched him crumple to the floor. The breath felt like it had gone from my lungs as fell to my knees beside the man on the floor, blood pouring from his chest and his breathing coming in short gasps.

'Why would you do that Caleb?' I whispered, cradling his head in my hands and resting it on my lap 'Why did you that bullet for me?'

'You have so much more to live for.' He whispered, his eyes becoming droopy 'I love you Bella, I always have, no matter if you decided that we had no future together. Just remember how good we were together yeah?'

'Stop! Don't you dare talk like that! I'm gonna get you out of here Caleb, and you're going to make a full recovery, just like last time.' I sniffed, but the tears just wouldn't come. Maybe I was heartless, maybe I was cruel. Hell, maybe I had just cried myself out, and there was nothing left.

'Edward.' He whispered, looking over my shoulder

'What?' I asked, confused

'Bella, I'm here.' A velvet voice said from behind me 'Don't worry, I'm in control.' He said, sinking to his knees beside me. 'Carlisle is on his way Caleb, he can tend to you'

'No, I'm gonna die, I just wanted to say goodbye to Bella.' He whispered, stroking my face.

'Caleb no!' I moaned, leaning into his hand and kissing his palm. 'You cant leave me, we're best friends remember? I love you Cal'

'I know babe, and I love you, though it'll never be enough. You deserve happiness, and I know you're going to get that with Edward, just be happy!' he laughed weakly, his breathing becoming a little faster and deeper. 'Goodbye Babe.' He whispered, before his eyes closed forever.

'No.' I moaned, leaning into Edward's arms as the tears finally spilled over onto his chest. I _think _he was speaking to me, I couldn't be sure, all I knew was my grief, and the torment his death had on my very being.

'Take her home Edward.' I heard Carlisle say 'I'll see to things here; Catherine Weaver has been informed also.'

'Who's Catherine Weaver?' Edward asked, lifting me up bridle style and facing Carlisle, whilst my eyes were fixed on the man on the floor.

'My boss.' I mumbled 'Edward, can we go? I can't stay here another minute.' I moaned into his chest, my hands gripping his shoulders in a way which would have caused some serious pain to a human.

'Yes honey, let's get out of here.' He whispered, kissing my forehead and running with inhuman speed away from the clearing.

'I'm usually so much stronger than this Edward! I've _never _had to be taken away from a mission in this state! Oh God, why does it hurt so much?' I sobbed.

'I don't know Bella, I don't know.' And that was all I heard before the events finally caught up with me, and I blacked out. But I did so eagerly, happy to be away from the turmoil and grief that my life so readily brings.

**So, what did we think??? Review please, and don't forget to check out my poll, and the outfits and pictures of extra characters that are on my profile :D **

**Thanks a lot xxxxxxxx**


	15. Welcome Distractions

**Okay, new chapter before I go on holiday: D**

**Just a few notes, because I have made some typos ):**

**Bella is 16**

**The month is April, not December**

**That's the only ones I've got mixed up with I **_**think. **_**Just tell me if something doesn't make sense okay?**

**Sorry for being such an idiot!**

**Happy reading, and don't forget to review (:**

It's been a week since the tragedy that shook me, making me feel more alone and vulnerable than I had ever felt in my entire life. A week since I witnessed my best friend getting murdered by a bullet that was meant for me. A week, is that it? It feels like a lifetime. All I've done since that fateful shot is lie in various people's arms, only moving to go to the bathroom, not even to eat. All I was sure of, was that I was with Edward almost all of the time, he barely left, and that suited me just fine. Well, when I noticed that is. I knew it was selfish of me to worry him like this, but honestly, who wasn't I hurting at the moment? It seems like I can't do anything right and that all I seem to do is hurt people, and bring them down with me. Life's a fucking bitch, and I want out.

'Bella?'

I'm not listening to you, go away

'Bella?'

That's not Edward, I don't know that voice

'Bella, can you hear me?'

Where's Edward, I didn't even know he'd left. I can't feel his arms, he left me! Great, now my boyfriend has realized what an emotional fucking wreck I am.

'Charlie I'm sorry, she's not responding to me, I think we're going to have to hospitalize her.' The voice sighed, making my head spin. Why wouldn't he just go away for fucks sake? 'I'll inject her with a sleeping draught; she may have to be put in a special ward at the hospital.'

'Shut up! Just freaking shut up!' I screamed, making everyone – namely Charlie – had he been here all this time? – and Emmett– jump about a mile 'Stay the hell away from me!' I screamed at the doctor who was coming closer with the syringe.

'Stop it she's terrified!' Emmett roared, rushing to protect me 'her best friend just died, and you want to put her in a mental hospital?! Just get the hell out of here, I'll take care of her myself!' he shouted, making me cringe into his huge, cold arms. 'Shh baby, shh, it's okay, he's gone now, don't be scared.' He crooned as I sobbed in his arms, as he gently rocked us backwards and forwards on my bedroom carpet, which had remained in the same state from when I first barricaded myself in here a week ago.

'Where's Edward, Emmett?' I whispered into his chest 'Why did he leave?'

'He needed to go hunting, none of us really benefited from our last trip, and he's the only one who hasn't hunted since. I promise you though Bells, he hasn't left you before now.'

Pathetic. Miserable. Loser. Outcast. Just a few of the insults than ran through my mind as I lay on the floor. I had _never _acted like this before, absolutely never, and I knew Caleb wouldn't want me to be like this either. Caleb. Dang, it hurt to even think about him, let alone remember… stop it! God, it seems like I'm just making everything worse for myself! If Caleb were here now, I mused, he'd be pulling me up off the floor and telling me to get a move on with my life. Yeah, that's what he's do, and I'll be damned if I let myself do the opposite of what he would have wanted. Much to Emmett's surprise, I pulled back and grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe, gesturing to him that I wanted a little privacy. He gave me one last confused look before blowing me a kiss and retreating out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. I looked in the mirror and traced the dark circles that had formed from my late night sobbing that had become normal this past week, trying to find some way in which I could make my life go back to the way it was.

First things first, I'm going to have show Edward what he means to me. I'm sure after this week he wasn't sure if I was in love with him or Caleb! I could tell him hands down that there was no comparison; my love for Caleb and my love for Edward were two completely different things. With Caleb, we _had _been lovers, but at least for me there was none of that left, just the best friendship, and the fact he was like family to me. With Edward, I was _in _love with him; he made my skin tingle everytime he touched me, I felt the electricity everytime he kissed me, and the way my heart sped up everytime he did something romantic, or even something as simple as holding the door open for me or taking my books. It was Edward I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, it was never Caleb.

'Why don't you just tell him then?' I whispered to my reflection. 'You love Edward, and you love Caleb enough to let him go, it's time to move on.' I sighed. Great, I'm going crazy. I flipped open my cell phone and dialed Alice's number, eager to get my mind off more unpleasant and hurtful subjects.

'Bella, are you alright?' she answered on the first ring. 'You scared me for a moment; I didn't see that you were going to call!'

'We're none of us perfect Alice.' I said in a fake happy voice 'I was actually wondering if you wanted to go out, I need a distraction.'

'You need an outfit for the funeral?' I cringed at her words. Somehow saying the word funeral, and goodbye, only made things seem more real.

'Yes that's one thing, but I want to get away from it all Alice.' I said, absentmindedly staring out of the window, not really seeing anything.

'Alright.' Alice said after a long pause 'I'll get Edward to bring you; he's just set off back to yours after his hunting trip. He was so worried about you Bella, I had to practically drag him away from you!' she laughed uneasily.

'I'll see him, but I'd rather drive, just another distraction.'

'Bella…' she warned.

'I know Alice, but I just want to get on with my life, it's what he would have wanted.' I sighed. I jumped as a set of icy cold arms wrapped around my waist, and glass-smooth lips were on my neck, giving me small kisses all the way up to my ear, where he took the phone away in one of his quick, supple motions.

'Alice, I'll bring her over in a little while, I want to talk to Bella first. Do you think you wait patiently until then sister dearest?' Edward, my personal haven, grinned, not waiting for an answer before he ended the call and threw the phone back onto the bed. I swear if I wasn't still so hurt, my mouth would have been watering at his hotness.

'I'm so sorry for leaving.' He murmured into my neck 'you have no idea how much I wanted to stay with you, but I couldn't take the risk of being around you whilst I was thirsty.'

'Don't worry about it.'

There was a long silence, in which we stood together, just holding each other, and thinking about how lucky I was to be alive, and that I had Edward here to comfort me. I really had been a jackass the past week, he didn't deserve that.

'Edward?'

'What is it?' he smiled.

'I'm sorry about how I acted this week; guess I must have scared you, huh? Look, I was just hurting after I lost Caleb, but I realized that I gotta get a move on with my life. I also thought that I hadn't been a very good girlfriend, mourning after my ex-boyfriend, whilst you're trying to get a response out of me. Can you forgive me for how I've been, Edward?'

'That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!' He growled, taking my chin into his palm and lifting my face up to meet him. He looked almost angry. 'You have had a terrible loss, not a week ago; it's natural for you to feel like this! And here you are, apologizing for being upset! As for me, I _know _how much Caleb meant to you, and that you two used to be in love; obviously it's going to hurt when you lose someone as close as you two were. Bella, I love you, and I'm going to stick by you, no matter what. You aren't getting rid of me that easily.' He grinned.

'That's not what I meant!'

'Forgive me then, what did you mean?' he said with a mocking grin on his face.

'Oh never mind!' I giggled as his eyes completely threw me off the subject 'If you're going to dazzle me like that I won't talk to you!' I said, trying to keep the grin off my face and failing miserably.

'I dazzle you?'

'Do you want a round of applause Mr. Big Shot?'

'No, but I _would _like a kiss.'

'Okay, I'll go get Emmett.' I teased, watching his face drop.

'I want to kiss you!'

'Don't whine!'

'Well if you won't give me what I want, I'm just going to have to take it, aren't I?'

'Edward no!' I shrieked.

His lips crashed down on mine then, as his grip on my back and shirt got firmer, and his breathing go heavier. His tongue caressed my bottom lip, and I eagerly opened my mouth for access. What I loved the most about Edwards kisses, was the fact that he was careful so he didn't hurt me, but he sure as hell put a lot of enthusiasm into the kiss. I love my man.

'When you've _quite _finished attacking me' I pretended to be mad.

'Sorry babe, I couldn't help myself.'

'You're totally unrepentant aren't you?'

'You know it.' The grin on his face was huge.

'I have to go and meet Alice!' I moaned as his lips started to caress my neck again. 'Let me go!' I squealed

'Maybe in a few hours…'

*

'So…what stores are we heading to?' Alice chirped from the passenger seat. It had been no joke telling her that I was driving; even though she saw me make the decision, it didn't stop her from putting on a face like a little girl that had lost her puppy when we got into the car and I turned the engine on.

'I don't know yet Alice, can't we just look around?'

'Hmm, either you're hiding something, or you're beginning to learn from me, and I'm pretty sure it isn't the second one…'

'I just need…a distraction, okay Alice? I just want to take my mind off more unpleasant things, and if shopping with you is the way to achieve that, then shopping with you is what I will do.'

'Okay. One question though. Why did it take you 4 hours after my phone call to make it to my house?'

Oops.

*

Note to self – if I ever want distracting, go shopping with Alice. We set off from the Cullen house at 12, got to Seattle at 12:30 and it was now 9:30; freaking 9 hours of shopping with Alice, and we were still going!

'Alice.' I moaned 'When are we finished, my arms feel like they're going to drop off!'

'Sorry Bella.' Liar, she didn't look sorry at all 'But there's one more thing you have to buy honey, an outfit for the funeral tomorrow.'

'Kick me while I'm down Alice; kick me while I'm down.'

'I'm serious! We have to go and get something, and I think I know the perfect place.'

I didn't even notice what store we were in, or the fact that Alice was shoving a black dress into my lifeless arms. All I was trying to do was keep myself from thinking about bad things; death, goodbyes, bullets…

'Bella, go into that changing room, I want to see how that dress looks on you.'

She gave me a small push into the room, but I don't remember changing, or even moving so that I was in front of the mirror, that's just where I ended up next. Black, death. Black, death. That was it, that's all it meant; black and death. That was the final straw for me, I just couldn't keep the pretense up anymore, no matter how hard I tried to get on with my life, the ache was still there. The tears fell down my face, and they wouldn't stop. They were silent, but I think those are the scariest. Shit, my life is a fucking mess.

I felt Alice changing me as I was slumped on the floor, I didn't even have the will to protest. And then another pair of ice cold hands replaced hers, ones that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else's, they were the ones I needed most, but deserved the least.

'I knew I shouldn't have left you' he murmured 'You pushed yourself to far, silly girl.'

'I don't even know why I'm crying! I just started, and then I couldn't stop!'

'You're hurt Bells, you need to heal for a little while, instead of trying to throw yourself back into normality. No-one will blame you for lying low for a few weeks honey; well, at least if I have anything to do with it.' He said whilst kissing my forehead. That made me smile a little, knowing I could count on Edward to be my protector. 'See look? You're smiling.'

'Can we just go home? I mean, to my place, the one I bought with Caleb. I don't have the energy to deal with Emmett and Charlie tonight.' I sighed

'Of course, you'll have to show me the way though' I looked at him blankly 'Please Bella, do you _honestly _think I'm going to let you drive when you're feeling like this?' he rolled his eyes as he picked us both up off the floor. 'I said I'd stick by you, and I mean it. Honestly Bella, I worked this hard to get you, I'm not going to abandon you now that you need me, and actually want me.' He grinned

'Really?' I smiled as he wound his arm around my waist and led me out of the changing rooms. I couldn't see Alice; I assumed she had already gone home. I hope she hasn't bought the dress for me, it seems as though all the Cullen's are big on gift-giving. 'You honestly want me around after I act the way I do? And to top it all off, keeping you at arms length until I decided I wanted you? No offense Edward, but are you insane? Who the hell would want me?' I sighed as he held the passenger door open for me; I didn't have the energy to protest about driving. He simply glared at me before running at human speed to the passenger side.

'Look Bella,' he said as he started the car and backed out of the parking lot, with a pretty black glare on his face 'You don't see yourself clearly at all! Yeah you kept me away, but that was only because you were worried about my safety; so, you're pretty selfless. And as for making me keep asking you out over and over? Well, it was well worth the chase.' He smiled at me, which scared the hell put of me, seeing as though he was driving my precious car.

'Keep your eyes on the road Cullen; because I will kill you personally if something happens to my car.' He just laughed at me and threw and arm over my shoulders, giving me a quick kiss on the head before turning back to the road and keeping his eyes there, which pleased me, a lot.

We didn't speak for the next 20 minutes or so, in which I occasionally pointed out places I had been before, or which turning we had to take next. It was a comfortable silence though, and we both snuck glances when we thought the other wasn't looking. I just felt...right...so whole being here with Edward. And even though he was now pulling into the house I had once lived in with Caleb, no tears or bad memories came to me; I guess it's just the effect he had on me.

'Are you sure this is what you want to do?' he asked, turning the engine off and turning to face me. His hand smoothed away a stray piece of hair in my face, and the smile lit his face as I nodded my head happily. I swear, my emotions are all over the place today, I don't even know what I'm doing anymore.

'I'm positive' I said, but my shaky voice betrayed me a little bit.

'Listen to me' he took my face in his hands and turned my head to face him, my eyes going straight to his like a magnet 'I don't want you to think you have to get on with your life straight away, it's alright to grieve.'

'I know that, but you don't need to see me like this, or anyone else. And this is what he would have wanted, for me to get on with things instead of being hung up over his memory for the rest of my life.' I said, my words hitching twice.

'Aright' he said slowly, still not looking convinced 'let's go inside, you must be freezing out here'

'I'll be fine alright?' I said as he too my hand and led me to the door. 'hey' I stopped us and turned to face him, placing my arms around his waist 'this is going to sound super corny, but, you make me feel _good _Edward. Everytime I'm with you, everything just seems okay, like nothing can hurt me.' I sighed again, getting angry when the words wouldn't come out as I wanted them to. 'I can't explain it, it's just-'

I was suddenly silenced by his lips, crashing down on mine in such a force that I stumbled back a little, only to be steadied by his strong arms. Minutes went by - or that's what I thought anyway – before he parted from me and gently rest his forehead against mine, both of us gasping for air, our lips slightly swollen.

'I know what you mean' he whispered, catching stray pieces of my hair and tucking it behind my ear, 'just promise me one thing Bella, please.'

'Of course'

'Just let me in' he almost pleaded 'you've kept everything hidden inside for so long, I can imagine it must be hard to finally let everything out to one person. All I'm asking for is your trust Bella, I just want you to let me in on things. Can you do that, for me?' his words were so compassionate, though, I felt with a slight twinge of resentment, so true. I had kept almost everything from everyone, and now was the time to start letting people in, no matter how vulnerable I felt.

'I can do that' I smiled, and it was genuine 'I can let you in; I'm used to changing who I am. I love you Edward, I mean it.' I said in a final tone that made him grin.

'I think I believe you' he laughed, making me hit him playfully 'anyway, let's get inside, you must be freezing out here. Actually, we should've been inside 5 minutes ago.' He grinned, repentant.

'It doesn't matter. Anyway' I said as I stepped in the front door, taking in my surroundings carefully. Everything was in the same place from the last time I had been here, when Caleb and I had broken everything off. 'I have some rooms to show you.'

'Is this to do with you letting me in on things?' I couldn't mistake the obvious excitement in his eyes.

'Yes' I said simply. I took his hand and pulled him over to the large staircase, which, I had to grin at, 'Edward, the time before the last time I was here, I fell right down these stairs and landed on my ass' I laughed

'Oh my God Bella' I don't think he could decided on being amused, or worried by this information 'I thought you were a spy, how could you have done something as careless as that?'

'Caleb' I said simply 'he was very distracting.'

'I don't want to know!' he shouted, though his eyes were full of humor. '_Please _tell me you aren't going to tell me anything too graphic' he grimaced as I paused outside a special room that no-one was allowed to enter, not even Caleb was allowed in here. Well, he said he wanted to be let in on things. 'What's in there?' he asked curiously.

'You said you wanted to be let in on secrets, so I'm going to show you my study, my personal room, that no-one is allowed to go in. It might seem a little silly to you, but this is one thing that I've kept from everyone, even Caleb was banned from here!' I laughed, grabbing the key from my back pocket. I don't know why, but I think I knew this was going to happen. I had absentmindedly stuck the key in my back pocket before we left the house this morning. Maybe I knew, or maybe I really am going insane.

'Wait, you want to show me this?' he asked in awe 'I really mean that much to you? Or are you just doing this out of guilt?' the last one made a spasm of pain shoot across his face, a look I was most likely not meant to see; it hurt me anyway.

'Guilt? Of course not! Edward, you were right, I need to include you a _lot _more in my life, and if this is the way to do it, then that's what I'll damn well do.' I turned away from him to stick the key in the door and open it, standing to the side so that he could go first. The gasp I heard come from him was the exact reaction I had been expecting.

The room was high-beamed, wooden and very dark. The security sensors blinked at the side, closing the doors and windows as Edward tripped the silent alarm, and sealing us inside. Other people might make their rooms inaccessible, so that no-one could get inside. I, on the other hand _wanted _people to get in, so that when they did, they were trapped, fit for me to interrogate and/or kill when I got home; it was one of my better plans.

'Bella, are we stuck in here?' he raised an eyebrow at me.

'Until I put my fingerprints, password and ID number into the system we are.' I grinned. Yeah, security was a high priority for me. When someone did get in here, they would find nothing but reading books for their trouble.

'Is this some kind of library?' he asked, confused. I decided to go easy on him by just letting him in on everything, instead of just leaving him confused like that.

I swiped my finger across the hidden keypad on the wall adjacent to the door, listening to the click as the system recognized me. I then entered my ID number and password, watching him relax slightly as the room colour went from red – it's harder to see things in a red light, that's why I chose it – to a pale yellow as the overhead lights flickered on.

'Bella, what exactly _is _this room?'

I didn't answer him. Instead, I entered a combination and stepped away from the "bookcases", gesturing for him to do the same. The bookcases came forward a little, and then turned anti-clockwise 180 degrees, showing now a whole rack of guns, equipment, and clothes I used for missions.

'Welcome to my office Edward.'

*

'So, all these things, they've been collected by you, over the past year?'

'That's right.'

'And all these weapons, you know how to use them all?'

'Yeah sure. The newer ones I used last week for the mission with Caleb, but apart from those, I've customized them all.'

'Customized them?'

'Made them better, put my initials on certain ones... just improvs, you know?'

'Yeah I get it.' He smiled. 'Thanks for showing me this Bella, I really appreciate it. Tomorrow, we can do something else, though, anything you want.'

'You may regret saying that.' I laughed.

It was now past midnight, and we'd been sat on the floor for more than 3 hours, just talking. He'd examined my guns with much detail, not concealing his shock and awe at some of the finer models I had, especially my Glock 17, my absolute favourite. However, I wasn't entirely sure what it was doing here...

Anyway, after handling the more delicate weapons I had, we had crashed on the floor, me, absolutely exhausted from Alice's bout of shopping, whilst I _think _Edward was still taking in everything I had shown him. He was now laid with his head on my lap, whilst I rested against a propped cushion that leant against the table.

'Thankyou for showing me this tonight.' He whispered, switching our positions so that he was sat up, and I was laid across his body, comfortably in his arms 'I really do appreciate you letting me in on things, especially things that require a lot of trust.'

'I trust you' I sighed, toying with his fingers.

'I know.'

We sat in silence for a few moments, before he spoke again.

'I love you, you know'

'I know' I said, kind of surprised by his sudden outburst.

'It's just that...well...'

'Go on Edward.'

'The way you talk about Caleb, it makes me feel as though I can't live up to him. You know, he was a really good guy to you, and he was your first real boyfriend. How am I supposed to live up to that?' he said in a heartbreakingly sad voice. I gasped in horror, sitting up on my knees and taking his face into my hands.

'Listen to me Edward Cullen' I almost growled 'you are so many things that Caleb wasn't!'

'A monster' he muttered 'a monster that doesn't deserve you.'

'Don't you dare say that! God, if anyone is undeserving, it's me. You are kind, compassionate, loving, and not to mention drop dead gorgeous! So don't give me all that bullshit about you not deserving me, because it's wrong. God, everyone should feel sorry for you, having a psycho as a girlfriend!'

'_Now _who's talking bullshit?' he teased. 'Caleb could do so much with you, though, and I can't.'

'You can't?'

'I might...lose control.'

'You kiss me fine enough.' My heart started to beat faster at what he was saying, and the sad smile on his face confirmed it. Would it be so bad to go to the net level with Edward, vampire or not?

'I know, but I'm just scared that you would get hurt love and I couldn't bare it if that happened.' His face dropped in anguish, something I hated to see. Mad Edward was one thing, but sad Edward was something else entirely.

'You wouldn't, neither of us would let that happen. And as for control, you've gotten so good at that! When you were near Caleb' I winced a little at the memory 'you handled it just fine.' My heart really started to hammer, and his expression was not one of sadness or anger, it was now calculating, thoughtful, like he was weighing up the pros and cons.

'Would you want to?' he asked slowly, a small smile starting to spread across his face.

'I want you, every part.' I said with a reassuring smile.

His smile suddenly became a full blown grin, his arms wrapping around me tightly.

'If that's what you want, it's what I want.' He said kind of breathlessly. He lifted me up so quickly that I gasped, but there was no chance of getting my breath back. His lips locked with mine, as he ran with inhuman speed to the master bedroom at the back of the house. Tonight was going to be much more than a welcome distraction, I knew.

**Okay, so this one was kind of crap! I just needed to update the story before I went on holiday, so you aren't wondering if I've died, or got arrested or something like that. **

**That's it for a little while! I'll be writing in notebooks when I get the chance, so hopefully when I get home all I have to do is type it up.**

**Thankyou so much for reading my story, and I'd appreciate it if you could review (:**

**Don't worry though, I have plenty of ideas for future chapters...**

**What did you think of my chapter? Review! **

**Charlie x**


	16. Funeral

**Hey there, it's been a while, hasn't it?**

**But here is my chapter, as promised, I just hope it's good enough. **

**I'm kinda dragging this story out, but I know exactly how it's going to end, and I can't wait to start writing it!**

**You know the drill, read, and then review**

**- Charlie**

It was quiet, somber, and eerily silent in the churchyard, as I waited for the funeral to begin.

And I didn't like it, not at all.

I was stood beneath a blossom tree, bright pink, though my black dress stood out a mile away. My hair swirled behind me, like some sort of undeserved halo as I stood in silence, loving the refreshing breeze that swept my face in a gentle caress. It was likely that this was the last time I was going to be left alone for a long time, so I had decided to make the most of it.

Emmett? At the moment, we weren't exactly on good terms. He had found out my secret in one night the same way I had found out his, but that didn't make him any more inclined to forgive and forget. He was just worried about me being in danger...I hope. When we'd all arrived at the church, he'd pulled me aside and asked if I could meet him later to talk. Let's just say that I hoped that today wasn't going to go _too _quickly.

Edward? He was here for moral support, of course. All morning, apart from now, of course, he hadn't left my side, and had given my hand a reassuring squeeze every now and again, to remind me that he was there for me. If anything, this made me love him even more. He was my rock, someone I could always rely on. Sure, he's a vampire, and every second that I spent with him was a test, but there was no-one I felt safer with. And after last night...well, let's just say that control is definitely not going to be an issue anymore.

The rest of the Cullen's? For some reason, they had all turned up to Caleb's funeral. It was sort of uplifting, knowing that I had a brand new family, here to support me through one of the hardest things of my life. Starting my job and burying my mother being at the top of the list. Whatever their intentions for coming, I didn't care, I was just glad I didn't have to be alone in the same room as Caleb's parents. Much to his amusement, I had never gotten along with Mr. and Mrs. Jones

Charlie? He remains oblivious, which is as it should be. All he knows is that my best friend is dead, and that I had gone away for a few days to clear my head, and get some preparations ready. I felt tears spring to my eyes as I thought of all the lies that were being fed to him.

_No, _I thought, _Charlie _has _to be lied to, otherwise he's in danger of being killed, just like Edward, and Emmett, and everyone else you give a damn about. At least Edward and Emmett can take care of themselves!_

I shook myself to dispel the disturbing thoughts. I didn't want to think today, just get through it, with my family by my side, so I could go and explain to Emmett later. Oh who am I kidding, how am I supposed to do this? It's just going to be mom all over again...

Oh, _mom..._

'Bella?' a velvet voice laced with worry called from behind me. 'There you are, we were beginning to get worried. Alice has been having a little trouble seeing your future lately and- Oh, Bella, are you crying, baby?'

I hadn't actually realized I was crying before Edward swept me into his icy, stone arms and cradled me to him.

'It's okay, you can get through this, I know you can. I won't leave you again, honey.' He whispered in my ear as he held me to his chest.

'Being here, it just reminds me of awful things.' I sighed, wiping away the traitor tears. What happened to keeping my emotions in check? 'The night Caleb died, my moms funeral, my _mom _dying!' I was on the border of hysteria. Too many painful memories, locked away inside of me, only to be brought back up again all at once. Life's a bitch like that.

'Are you sure you-'

'Yes! I _need _to do this, to get some closure...' I sighed.

'You blame yourself, don't you?'

'I thought you couldn't read my mind.'

'It's not hard to see how you're feeling right now, Bella. But you shouldn't feel like that! It wasn't your fault at all!'

'Even Alice said I was the one who was meant to die, or have you forgotten that little fact?' I said, beginning to get angry.

He stood there looking at me, trying to figure out what to say. But what was there to say? I already knew it was all my fault.

'Bella, please I-'

'I see _someone _has moved on. Didn't take you long, did it?' a snooty, nasal voice came from behind me. Oh hell, Caleb's mom...

'Mrs. Jones, it's been a long time.' I smiled, just wishing the ground would open, and I would fall down to hell, where I deserved to be.

Emily and Ross Jones stood across from us, just beyond the blossom trees. Emily, blonde, statuesque, and a former model; Ross, tall, dark, handsome, and a former actor, were Caleb's parents, and the most stuck-up people I had ever met.

The first time Cal brought me home, Emily had immediately looked down her nose at me, as we hadn't bothered to dress up. It wasn't _actually _my fault. I hadn't been told where we were going, and I had just come back from some observation work. She had disliked me ever since she first saw me. Ross, on the other hand, didn't like me because of my family background. Imagine your only son coming home with the daughter of a recently dead artist, with no real father, and a stepfather who managed a small business up in Washington. Needless to say, he was not impressed.

They were vindictive, and had tried to control their son's life for years. Little did they know he had been sneaking out to train as a spy, after Zeiracorp spotted him defending himself against muggers, and then sneaking out for missions.

Little did they know he had been watching the daughter of an artist for weeks, as she tried to find some meaning in her life. They also didn't know that he had watched the girl's mother die, and the girl jump out of the way of a moving truck.

They didn't know he had taken her to a company, where she had been chosen for the same fate as him. Little did they know he had fallen in love, and escaped with said girl...

'Yes, it certainly has. We hadn't seen our son in months, as he moved away with _you! _How could you be so selfish?! And then, a week after his death, you're with another man! I _knew _there was a reason I didn't like you, you nasty little brat!' she said, absolutely livid. But of course, that only flared up my temper.

'Listen, you!' I said, stepping closer to her and pushing a very shocked Edward to the side. 'Caleb and I haven't been together for a while now, so don't act as though I'm just replacing him now he's gone.' I said, my words hitching on the last word 'And don't you _dare _act as though you knew him, not my Caleb!'

'Look, can we all please calm-' Edward and Ross began, but we had started now.

'How dare you?! He was _mine, _my son! We loved him more than you ever pretended to!' By now, all the Cullen's, as well as all the funeral guests were gathered round, watching the scene. I noticed that none of them dared stop us.

'He hated you, you stupid bitch!' I screamed. There was a very audible gasp from the crowd. I felt a sort of calming influence come over me; I simply glared at Jasper's uneasy face and continued. 'Why do you think he hasn't called or visited? He couldn't wait to get away from you, and he was never going to go back!'

'Because of you! You poisoned his mind! He loved us!' we were both screaming at the top of our lungs now.

'His mind was already poisoned, I simply healed it! Listen to yourself, trying to pin the blame at your own son's funeral. Who the hell do you think you are? All of us are here to say goodbye, and if you don't like that, leave. It's not like he wanted you here anyway.' I sneered, enjoying the fact that she seemed to shrink.

'I'm going to say goodbye to my son, and then I never want to hear from you again. Is that understood?' her voice was not as loud and angry than it was before, but I could distinguish the venom in her words.

'My pleasure, and if I never see you again, it will come too soon.' I turned on my heel and walked the opposite way to the church, where the funeral was due to start. Naturally, the Cullen's and Emmett followed me.

'Was that really wise, Bella?' Esme said quietly, as we all filed into the church. Oh God, this is actually happening...

'Yeah, she needed to hear that stuff. All she did was control his life, it just made me so mad to hear all that stuff about her being a good mother.' I said quietly. Edward and Jasper, feeling my distress put an arm each around me, both as soothing as the other.

'He _was _her son though.' Esme chided softly.

'No, mom,' Jasper cut in before I could speak 'the hate radiating from her to Bella was incredible. I haven't felt anything like it. Well, from a human anyway.'

Esme seemed to change her mind, and nodded somberly 'my apologies, Bella. It's just that I know what it's like to lose a son.'

I smiled at her. I never knew she had lost a son 'you deserve to have your sons, Emily Jones doesn't, and I know that for a fact.' I said grimly. I wouldn't go into too much detail about his past life. Even though he was gone, it didn't feel right to spread his second biggest secret, even if they knew the first.

'It's going to start in a moment, we should sit down.' Alice said softly, pulling me by the hand to the front two rows on the right. Edward and Jasper sat beside me, with Alice next to Jasper, whilst Emmett sat behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders in a comforting way. Rosalie, Esme and Carlisle all stroked my hair before sitting on the row behind us. I was literally surrounded in love.

'If you need to leave at any time, you will tell me, wont you?' Edward murmured in my ear.

'I will.' I whispered. 'By the way, I appreciate you not splitting me and Emily up.' I said, trying to manage a smile.

'You needed to do that, I could tell.' He leant down and kissed my forehead sweetly, making me feel more loved than I had ever been.

'Thankyou.' Was all I could manage, but I knew he understood.

The funeral was simple, yet very beautiful, and all the while, I never saw a trace of his parents. If they really loved him, they would've stayed for it, no matter what I said. But, like the cowards they are (which their son never inherited, nor showed the slightest form of), they never showed. It made me feel physically sick.

A black, glossy coffin would be Caleb Erik Jones' final resting place. It was gorgeous, expensive and perfect, just right for him. The top was almost completely covered in flowers, which made me frown, then my stomach drop in guilt, making Jasper's head snap no to me faster than I thought possible.

The casket was closed. Fucking closed. It was a tradition for the caskets to be open, to enable relatives to say goodbye properly. I _knew _he had wanted an open casket, so why was it closed?

'It's a closed casket.' I whispered when the vicar stepped down after the last prayer. Cathy gave the speech, I knew I wouldn't have been able to.

'Is that a bad thing?' Emmett whispered from behind me. Maybe it's the feeling of a church, but I felt like I shouldn't be speaking loud, and that this was only for the Cullen's ears.

'Well, yeah, I guess. I don't know, it just seems sort of...off.' I said quickly. Carlisle looked away when I met his gaze. 'Carlisle, is something wrong?' I asked

'No, Bella, nothing. Are you alright now?' he asked kindly, like I was his own daughter. 'Are you ready to leave?'

'Yes, thankyou.' I said slowly and suspiciously. Something was not right; I could tell by the way he was looking at me, like I was going to expose him or something. Edward was looking at his father in confusion too.

'Bella, can you come with me, now?' Emmett asked. Oh _dang, _I forgot we were going to have the talk.

'Yeah we should go.' I didn't recognize my own voice. 'Edward, will I see you later?'

'Like you even nee to ask' he murmured, kissing my cheek and whispering in my ear so that no-one could hear, not even the vampires. 'I'll only be a shout away, in the forest, should you need me. But I won't be able to hear anything you say normally, alright?'

'Yes'

'See you, sweetheart' Esme swooped down and kissed my cheek softly, which made me feel even more upset. She reminded me so much of my mom; the wound of her death flared painfully.

'Later, sis.' Rose and Alice whispered together, hugging me tightly. They were more alike than I had thought.

'You were great today, I'm proud of you.' Jas whispered. He was like a big brother now, in so many ways.

'Well done, newest daughter.' Carlisle smiled gently. His face was the same make as it was earlier, but he hugged me the same, and his words gave me great comfort.

I walked away from the man who loved me most, into the arms of the man who loved me second most. It seemed like forever since I had last spoken to Emmett, even though it was less than a day ago. Had it really been a day since my zombie state?

We approached Emmett's jeep, which I jumped into easily this time; there was no point in pretending any more. He drove in silence, occasionally smiling down at me once in a while. He was my big brother, and I loved him, but he wasn't what I wanted at the moment.

It seemed to take an eternity to drive home and walk into the living room, with Emmett watching my every move warily. I couldn't blame him, not after last week...

'Okay, Bella.' He sighed 'It's time to explain.'

**So, how was it? I had to put this chapter in, even if it does raise more questions.**

'**Beautiful Dead' a certain part of this story is for you, cos your review gave me an idea ;)**

**Tip: If you review, the next chapter will be posted much quicker.**

**Review please, it only takes a minute**

**- Charlie **


	17. Explanations

Alright, a short chapter because some things needed explaining.

So, here we are, My Vampire Romane update. Hope you like it (:

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'Where shall I begin?' I asked tiredly. All I wanted was a nice, warm bed, not an interrogation by my brother. I'd had enough.

'At the beginning, from when the secrets started.'

'What do you want to know?' I sighed again.

'Everything. I want to know about this job everyone's talking about, I want to know about Caleb, and I want to know the truth from all the lies you've been feeding me.' He whispered the last part, like he couldn't quite believe it to be true.

'Just so you know, the lies weren't actually that bad.' I sighed again before beginning. I knew that this was going to be a long afternoon.

'I'm a spy, Em.'

'What?!' he jumped up in his seat and glared at me. I wasn't fazed, he was just a teddy bear at heart and he knew it.

'Don't be like that, it's not as though you didn't think it was going to be as big as this. And if you did, you're stupider than you look.'

'Bella...' he warned, gaining some composure.

'Alright. I became a spy a few years ago, after mom's death. Caleb was the one who spotted me, and recommended me for the job, and that is the only secret I ever kept from you, promise.'

'Well it's a pretty big secret, Bella!' he stood quicker than my eyes could follow and started to pace the room, staring down at his hands. He didn't look at me once. 'Didn't you think you could trust me? I mean, I know we've been apart for a long time, but you could've trusted me! And Edward, he knew first, did he?' his voice gradually got louder and louder. This was going to get nasty, but I wasn't going to stop it.

'Like you trusted me?' I said coldly 'the biggest secret of your life I had to find out myself. I asked, and when you didn't tell me, I found out myself, because that's who I am. You, on the other hand, decided to pretend like everything was perfect, when you knew I was hiding something. You didn't ask me, and then when you actually had evidence of me hiding something, then you finally did something!' we were both stood now, across the room from each other. I was surprised steam was coming from my ears.

'I did ask you.' He said, visibly deflating.

'Oh yeah, like once!'

'I didn't want to lose you!' he shouted. There was a long silence that seemed to stretch on forever. 'look' he began 'I knew there was something wrong, but I thought that if I confronted you, you'd take off again. I couldn't lose you, Bella, I just couldn't.' he collapsed on the sofa with his head in his hands. I did what any sister would have – I comforted him.

'We've been so stupid, haven't we?'

'Yeah' he sighed 'look, this Caleb. He was special to you, wasn't he?'

'He was.' I sighed, trying not to dwell too much on the _was _part. 'At the time, I thought he was the one for me. Through circumstances, he got shot because of me, and our relationship sort of...fell apart.'

'He blamed you?'

'I blamed myself.'

Emmett stared at me for a few moments before breaking into a smile, something I hadn't seen for a while. Wait, I tell him the worst moment of my life, the one moment where I screwed up so bad that I almost caused my boyfriend to be killed, and he breaks into a huge ass grin?

'What's with the Cheshire cat grin? Or are my hopeless predicaments somehow amusing to you?' I raised an eyebrow at my burly big brother, who just threw his head back and laughed.

'Sorry, Bell.' He said after he had sobered and caught sight of my face, which was less than pleased. 'It's just that it feels good to finally be let in on everything that's happening to my baby sister, even if it is less than pleasant.' He sighed and stood up, completely disappearing for a few moments before he reappeared again. I stood up when he went, turning around the room in confusion before it dawned on me. Oh yeah, vampires have superhuman speed as well as their strength.

'Sorry, Bella, I had to get something I've been keeping for a while now.' He sighed and sat down close to me on the sofa. It took all of my efforts not to fall asleep on his broad shoulders, I was that exhausted. 'Bella, before mom died, she wrote letters to the pair of us, just in case something should happen to her; you know how organized she was. Anyway, your letter was in my envelope, so no-one knew it had to be given to you. I always assumed that we would meet up again someday, so I planned to give you the letter as soon as you hit 18, according to mom's wishes.' He looked down at the envelope for inspiration and then continued 'but, after all I've heard today, I've realized that you're so mature already that a year or so is nothing. So, here it is, mom's letter.' He handed me the small, yellowing envelope delicately, as though it may smash if he didn't handle it carefully.

'Thanks, Em.' I said in a broken voice whilst taking the letter. Mom's familiar handwriting pierced me with grief and sadness; I couldn't believe it had only been a year since I had last seen her. It seemed more like a lifetime. I had thought more about mom today than I had since she first died.

'Why don't you go up to your room and read it? I cried when I got mine so no doubt you will, too; and I know you don't like showing emotions in front of anyone.' He smiled sadly and helped me up off the sofa. I was so emotionally drained that I didn't think my own legs would support me.

I made my way up to my room without really seeing where I was going. Being here, in Charlie's house where I hadnt spent a day from the time I was 5 until the time I was 16, just didn't seem real at all. I wasn't the same person who had left, the same innocent child with no worries, no problems and no stress induced nightmares.

Not to mention that I knew no 5 year olds that smoked to relieve the pressure.

I fumbled with the bedroom door as though I had never seen a door handle before, and when I eventually did make it into the room I was blinded by the sunlight streaming in through the window.

Sunlight. Emmett.

'Emmett!' I called down the stairs, previous exhaustion gone. 'The suns out, you better get upstairs before Charlie gets home!' I shouted. I _really _didn't want to see the look on Charlie's face when he realized that his oldest child sparkled whenever the sun shone on him. It was bound to raise at least a few awkward questions.

'Thanks, Bella.' He said, making me almost fall off the banister, as he was suddenly there next to me.

I nodded and went back into my bedroom, sitting down on the bed and staring at the letter in my hand. I gently undid the envelope, not wanting to tear something my mom had touched and handled, something that would still have her DNA on after all this time. I pulled the letter out of the envelope for a few moments before reading.

_Bella, _my mom wrote.

_If you're reading this, something has happened to me. I'm either dead, or unable to look after you anymore, my precious daughter. _

_There are secrets in our family, secrets that I won't tell Emmett in his letter, or your father in his. Secrets that bound us to another family by love, protection and honour. _

_I trust that you are either starting to figure out what I'm talking about, or you're sat there completely befuddled by my words! But please know, daughter, that everything I have done in my past was to protect you, Emmett and Charlie, the love of my life. Please know that my divorce from Charlie was for his own protection, and that me leaving Emmett behind was out of love for him, and not the fact that I wouldn't be able to cope on my own with two children._

_I have a deep, dark secret, Bella. Perhaps you share this secret, and it is now your burden to bear. It may be a burden, but this secret holds great family honour, something that mother has given to daughter for near on 200 years in our great and noble family. If you have not been let in on this secret already, let me now fill you in on your future and destiny, should you choose to accept it._

_I was a spy, as was my mother, and her mother, going on for at least 200 years. This may be hard to believe, as I acted like a normal mother around you. Being a spy wasn't easy, I had to keep secrets from all of you, something that broke my heart everytime a lie escaped from my lips. But please understand, Bella, that the secrets I kept were for your own protection. You don't understand (or perhaps you do) how hard it is to keep the nature of your job a secret from the rest of your family; how hard it is to say "I'll be back later", when there is a huge chance that you aren't coming back at all. That, my darling daughter, is the reason I gave up spying in the first place. _

_As I write this in our living room, I sneak glances at to what everyone else is doing. You are sat on the carpet with your adoring older brother Emmett, playing peek-a-boo; he loves you more than words can express, and would gladly spend all day doing this with you! Charlie is in the kitchen, sneaking smiles at me and you as he makes dinner (you know how bad a cook I am). He is blissfully happy, and it pains me to think that soon I will have to leave him, even if it is to keep him safe. _

_Sacrifice is everything, even if it mean leaving what you love so that they are safe, even if none of you are happy. When I quit, I had a lot of enemies, and if any found out my real name, they would descend on the house and kill you all before my very eyes. Do not ask me to endure this, please, I cannot do it. So I am to take you away, Bella, just you, very far away. Charlie and Emmett will never know the real reason unless you plan on telling any of them, and you will grow up in all the protection I can give you. And, eventually, should you choose to accept it, I will train you myself to become one of the great female spies that have marked our family. It is your choice, and yours alone._

_And so I leave you, precious daughter, to the cold, dangerous world that I have fought and died in. Do not mistake my death for an accident, as I am too well trained for that (not meaning to toot my own horn) and that my death was completely on purpose. However, my will states that you be placed in the care of my dearest friends, Emily and Ross Jones, whose son will be joining you in his quest to become a spy. Emily is very…tenacious, and so should not be treated lightly. However, I know that they will protect you to the death, as I would have done if their only son, Caleb was placed in my care. _

_Choose your future wisely, daughter! Should you choose to be a spy, you have the help of myself, Emily and Ross, and possibly the aid if Caleb, should he choose this path also. However, if you do not, your life shall go on as normal, though you would have to swear to keep my secret safe._

_Before I finish, I would like to tell you of one other family I know that have dedicated their family to the spying service, and the allegiance to the government. The Weavers. Perhaps you know them? Nevertheless, whenever the woman gets married, their partners always take their wifes last name to continue the family honour. Emily and Ross are both spies, but nevertheless take Emilys name, as Ross' family are not spies. May the name Swan be with you always (I suppose you didn't know that Charlie took my last name!), let it be a remind to you in hard times, that the women before you have had the same troubles, yet they have all pulled through in the end. _

_I'm sorry I cant be there with you in this difficult time, Bella, but I hope in the end you will make the right choice for you, and that your life will be full of as much mystery and surprise as mine was. I hope you have good friends (perhaps Caleb Jones, and Catherine weaver, my best friend Carmen's daughter), and that together you will learn your heritage and become the great people you were born to be._

_Alll my love, now and always, Mom. _

_Xx_

The tears I didn't realize were flowing down my face dripped onto the paper, and I hastily moved so that I wouldn't ruin the piece of evidence that showed why my life was the way it was. In that letter, I realized why my mom had done what she did, and I realized (however angry it made me) that my mom's death was no accident. Had she let herself die on purpose? It said in black and white that she could have saved herself, so why hadnt she? I don't suppose I will ever know.

Emmett knocked on the door and let himself in, not waiting for my answer.

'You read it, then?' he presumed, seeing my tears. He came and sat by me on the bed, wrapping his arm around my tiny (in comparison) shoulders.

'Read it, Em. You might find some answers in there.' I watched his face as read the letter go from concerned, to shocked, to sad.

'Mom was a spy, just like you?' he whispered in awe, handing me the letter 'Did you know that this was what she planned for you?'

'No, I had no idea. I just thought this was what was handed to me because I made a lucky escape, not because my female ancestors were all spies. And mom knew that Caleb, Cathy and I were going to be friends because she was friends with their parents!' I suddenly went totally still as I realized something 'Oh my God, I totally yelled at Emily today, told her she didn't know who her son was, when she knew exaclty what he was. I need to call her, I need to _apologize!'_

'Woah, Bell. Take it easy, okay? I'm sure she needs time to calm down, so give it a few days before you contact her.' He sighed and glanced at the letter 'did you know that dad took mom's last name?' he grinned 'he must've been _really _whipped to do something like that!' before I knew it, I was laughing too.

We sat there for an hour just talking about the past, with me teasing him about him playing peek-a-boo with me. He will never live that down as long as I'm alive!

'So, Em, do you think that-' I was suddenly cut off by the front door being kicked in, and someone running up the stairs as though they were drunk.

Before I could run to the door, Emmett had gotten up and braced me against the wall, standing in a protective stance in front of me. The door was then flung open, and Emmett gave the most animalistic growl I have ever heard.

Oh for crying out loud, it was _Alice!_

'Alice, what the hell?' I said, moving from around Emmett, extremely pissed now.

'Guys, something's happened to Charlie.' She whispered. I strode across the room and grabbed her by her slight shoulders.

'What, Alice?! What has happened?!'

'He's missing.'

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So, what did we think? I hope there were a few surprises in there (:

Remember, the more reviews I get, the more likely I am to update faster.

Charlie


	18. Missing In Action

**Hey there, I'm getting quicker at updates, aren't I? Go me!**

**Okay so last chapter was a sort of filler, but I had to explain everything, and I hope it was good for you (: **

**Okay, so here it is my new chapter. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Charlie**

'He's missing, Charlie's missing.' Alice stuttered. I could barely comprehend what she was saying. How the hell could he be missing?

'What the hell do you mean he's _missing?' _I shouted.

'I don't know! All I could see was that he was supposed to be meeting his colleagues after checking out a patch in the forest, but he never showed up. Bella, I can't see his future, it's all black.' She said, getting quieter and quieter.

'Oh my God.' I whispered, letting Emmett pull me back to sit on my bed.

'I'm sorry, Bella and Emmett. If I had seen something earlier I would've let you know, I swear. I honestly didn't know this was going to happen.' She rushed.

The door flew open again, and a windswept Edward ran in. He took one look at Alice and gasped, seeing what she saw in her head, then walked quickly over to sit on my other side.

'It's okay, it's not your fault.' I said a little impatiently. 'Just tell me everything. Where he was last, what exactly happened in the vision, and if you saw anybody else there with him. It's crucial that you don't miss out anything, Alice.'

'Bella, you aren't going to go out looking for him, are you?' Edward asked in his damn concerned voice 'If something's happened to him, it's something dangerous. I mean, he can handle himself.' His worlds just tipped me over the edge. Maybe it was because of my crappy day, or the fact that I had found out a huge family secret, or the fact that my _father _was missing; I just lost my temper with him.

'What the fuck, Edward?! You think I can't handle myself as well as my father, just because he's a cop? Well here's a newsflash, I can, and I'm going out to look for my father whether you _approve _or not!'

'Whoa, hey, just calm down, alright?' he said in a soothing voice. Emmett and Alice slipped out of the room to give us some privacy, which I was grateful for. Edward's arm was on mine, and I felt instantly calm. Edward didn't need Jasper's gift to influence my emotions. 'I'm sorry, it's just a habit. Look, we'll go out and look together, alright? I know you don't like to be taken care of, but I _can't _let anything happen to you, sweetheart. Don't you understand? I love you too much to just let you go out into the woods alone, trained killer or not.' He stroked my hair as he spoke, which got rid of my temper as quickly as it came.

'Alright, we'll go out together.' I stood and went to my wardrobe, removing the bottom and taking out my gun, holster, throwing knives and torches that I kept there. I only had a small stash here, seeing as though Charlie was a cop. Besides, in tiny, crappy Forks, who knew I'd need them?

Edward went downstairs to speak to Alice and see if there was any news whilst I got changed. I appreciated that; the fact that he had slept with me, yet still felt the need to leave the room and give me privacy whilst I changed.

'That one's a keeper, kid.' I whispered to myself as I tied my hair back into a loose ponytail.

When I got downstairs, they were all waiting for me at the front door.

'Anything, Alice?' I asked as I got to the bottom.

'No, everything's black, I can't see his future at all.' She said sadly. My heart fell to my shoes.

'You mean….he's' I stuttered. Were we too late?

'No! No, it doesn't mean that! His future may be uncertain, that's why she can't see him.' Emmett said quickly.

'Edward?' I asked in a small voice.

'He's right,' he said kindly 'we can still save him, Bella. But we need to go; the others are waiting for us at our house. Everyone's going to help.' I nodded and took Edward's hand as we left the house, using my car to get to the Cullen place (I assumed Alice was in too much of a hurry to get her Porsche out of the garage. My car was parked in the small sheltered part next to the house, where Edward had left it that morning).

When we got there, the house had a different aura to the one I usually sensed around it. It had the feeling that my office had – power and security, yet death and pain at the same time. Maybe it was because I was about to plan a mission like I do at work, or the fact that someone was in danger and missing like they usually were. Whatever the case, the Cullen house just didn't feel the same today.

Edward gave me his hand as we stepped out of the car, which I gladly accepted. Today had just been so draining, mentally and physically, that I didn't know how I was going to manage a search.

_Oh stop being so pathetic, _a little voice in my head said. _Are you going soft or something? You get a lovey-dovey boyfriend, and then all of a sudden you can't defend yourself, stay up late, or cope when something happens? You need to get your act sorted, kid. _

Edward held the door open as we walked in, and I was immediately struck by how alert and tense everyone in the room was. Esme was having an agitated conversation on the phone, with I assumed the police department by some of the things she said. Carlisle and Jasper were looking at a map of the forest, pointing at plots on the map and either nodding or shaking their heads. Rosalie had a police scanner out – where she got it I had no idea – and was tuning it up. In other words, my future family were trying their very hardest to find my family.

Emmett seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me, and hurriedly shook himself before heading over to Rosalie. Alice walked over to Esme, who had just put the phone down with an exasperated sigh. Edward and I, hand in hand, walked over to Carlisle and Jasper, who looked the most promising as I was going on a search.

'Where was he last seen, guys?' I asked as we approached. No time for pleasant introductions.

'He was meant to be searching over here,' Jasper pointed to a spot nearer the middle of the forest, just off the Forks main highway. I noticed that only a short walk away was where Brian's body had been found, but I didn't say anything. 'But he never showed. He was either early to the site and set out to go and look for evidence on his own, which was likely, or he never showed up. Either way, he wasn't at the meeting point when the other cops arrived, and when he didn't get there after 15 minutes, and didn't respond to his radio, the alarm was raised.' Jasper and Carlisle both looked at me with similar masks of concern etched onto their features. They were right to be. Charlie _always _responded to his radio.

'Maybe he got lost; it's not unusual for woods of this size. Or he could have fallen, that's easy to do around here.' Edward said quickly, making sure that I didn't panic.

'I doubt it, Edward, Charlie's got a good head on his shoulders. An accident seems more likely, but the fact that there's been an animal attack makes me think that something more sinister has happened.' I said, my words not sounding real in my own ears. 'But, whatever's happened, I need to be out there looking, and I haven't really got time to waste, so if you'll excuse me.' I said, shrugging out of my coat and putting it on the chair. I'd just get hotter and tired quicker if I had it on.

'Bella, you don't know your way around these woods.' Rosalie pointed out.

'True, but there's always some form of clue to direct me. Besides, if I'm the only one without an advanced sense of hearing and smell, I may as well take that, hadn't I?' I said, pointing to the map on the coffee table.

'Just wait a moment, Bella. We need to figure out who's doing what.' Carlisle said calmly. I could feel my temper slipping away for the God knows what time today. I wasn't really having much luck in the control department today.

'Alright, but can we hurry up? Charlie is out there, God knows what's happened to him! So, make your mind up already whilst I phone the police department, seeing as though they were kind enough to let me know that my father is missing.' My voice dripped with sarcasm as I pulled out my cell and dialed the number Charlie had given me for emergencies. I kinda guessed this was an emergency.

Edward calming hand stayed around my waist as I stepped outside, feeling 6 pairs of eyes on me as I did so.

'Forks Police Department, how may I help you?' an alert sounding man asked as I called the front desk. We were stood outside now, and the freshness of the air helped me speak calmly.

'I need to speak to my father, Charlie Swan. Can you get him for me, please?' I asked, pretending to be ignorant as to what had happened.

'Good start, Bella. And it's alright to lose your temper, this time.' Edward grinned down at me. I kissed him quickly whilst the man on the phone stuttered for am moment.

'Uhmm, can I ask who is speaking, please?' he knew that they hadn't called me. Hell, he was probably worried about my reaction.

Good.

'His youngest child, Bella. Can you ask him to come to the phone, please? I wouldn't usually ask, but it's very important.' I said innocently, laying it on a little bit thick. Edward stood with me patiently, ready to intervene if necessary.

'Bella,' a different, older voice said. And that pretty much sums up the Forks PD. 'I'm afraid that your father is missing. He didn't show up to the meeting point, and a search is being carried out as we speak.'

'Why the hell was I not informed of this?!' I demanded, not hiding my shock 'when someone goes missing, it is your job to inform the next of kin! Technically, that is my brother, but he hasn't had a phone call either, and Charlie always keeps our contact details up to date in the police computer!' Edward took the phone from me quickly whilst I sat on the porch step. He followed suit, and wrapped an arm round my shoulders as he spoke smoothly into the receiver.

'I'm very sorry, sir, but she's very upset with you.' 'No, she wasn't aware of the situation.' 'I'm her boyfriend.' 'We were spending the day with my family when she got a call to say her friend in New York had had an accident, so she wanted to call to let Charlie know she was going away.' 'Yes of course Charlie trusts her!' there was a gleam of anger and danger on his eyes, something I had only seen a handful of times before. He was getting worked up by what this cop was saying, and that was totally out of character. 'Next time, I suggest you call when something serious happens, or who knows when and who she's going to hear it from? Goodbye, officer, and call back on this number when you hear anything.' He snapped coldly, stabbing the end call button and handing me the phone.

'Thanks, Edward. I'm glad you handled that, I would've lost my temper and had a go at him!' I teased. He laughed and ran his free hand through his hair.

'Sorry, but he was being so arrogant!' he sighed and looked back at the huge house 'we should go inside; they've finished deciding, now.' He took my hand and pulled me up, walking close by my side into the large front hall. The others met us as we walked in.

'No.' Edward said firmly as soon as we stepped in the door. I looked up at him in confusion, but his eyes were fixed on his father, full of anger and determination.

'Edward, what's up?' I asked, though I was getting pretty sick of interruptions by now. It was 7 o clock, and it was starting to get darker. I should _really _be out there by now, who _knows _what has happened to him?

'Bella, we've decided that Esme and Rose will be working with the police, and they will call if they get any new information. Alice and Jasper will be staying here and keeping an eye on our futures, and the rest of us – which includes you – will be going out and searching.' Carlisle said with a glance at Edward. He said nothing, but I could feel the tension in the arm that was around my waist.

'That sounds good to me.' I grinned.

I threw my car keys to Esme, nodding my head when she looked at me questioningly. Well, I didn't lend my car out often, if ever. I took the map from Carlisle's outstretched hand and walked outside, sensing, rather than feeling everyone's presence behind me.

I had only just begun walking into the forest when Edward grabbed me and ran with me bridal style. I was so surprised that I only began to struggle after he touched me. He stopped a few seconds after, though we had to be a few miles in by now. Carlisle and Emmett joined us a few moments later, and I unfurled the map to direct the others.

'Alright, Emmett, you'll be covering as much of the west and part of the north as you can. Carlisle, you'll be covering as much of the north and part of the east as you can. Edward, you'll cover the east and as much of the south as you can. I'll take the middle section.' I pulled out four cell phones that I had grabbed out of the car and handed them to the boys. 'These have better signals than our phones, and we can take calls coming into our other phones on them, so we'll be able to keep in contact with the others. Don't ask me how the technology works, I'm not a technician.' I grinned, making them laugh out loud. 'If you find something, or have any problems, call any one of us and we'll be there. Understood?' I said, daring one of them to contradict me. I couldn't wait any longer, I had to start searching.

'Yes. See you later, Bella.' Carlisle kissed me on the forehead and wished me good luck before running off at vampire speed.

'Good luck sis, and keep safe.' Emmett kissed me too, and ran off the opposite way. I knew he was scared for Charlie, too.

'Bella, please keep safe.' Edward said ruefully. 'There's something out there, but you wanted me to trust your skill, and I am. But don't forget that calling me isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of sensibility. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Edward. You be careful as well, and call me if you find anything.' I said softly, reaching up to kiss him softly. He held me to him as if he wasn't going to let me go. And when he did, I saw a glimmer of anxiety and pain in his perfect features.

'Come back to me, Bella.' He whispered. 'And good luck.'

'I'll see you later, and that's a promise.' I said, pulling away to run into the woods. I could feel his eyes on my back as I ran, and I knew that he would be watching for a long time.

*

I had been searching for two hours, and all I had found was a couple of large clusters of grey hair, which I had stored a few pieces of in the back of my phone, so that hopefully one of the boys could in identify it later. There was also a strong smell of wet dog hanging around, which completely confused me. Unless it was some sort of wolf.

My senses were on high alert, and I noticed everything around me – something called _zanshin. _I looked around the dense part of the forest I was in, which seemed to be watching me as my hyper-alert body scanned the area for any threats.

Suddenly I heard it, a low, bass growling coming from the bushes to my left. I spun round, grabbing my gun from the back of my trousers, holding it aloft and straining my eyes at the bush.

And then, from the bushes, I saw a pair of gleaming yellow eyes staring back at me. 

**Uh-oh, sorry for the cliffy, but it had to be done ;)**

**Okay, so there are only 8 chapters left until I finish :O**

**But don't worry, I'm the middle of writing a new Night World fanfic, which I hope will be good. I'm also writing Edward's version of new moon, which won't be published until it's finished, Spotlight (which I may or may not continue), and Bella's diary. So yeah, my writing schedule is pretty full ;)**

**You know what happens now…**

**REVIEW!! (:**

**Charlie **


	19. Hope Or Hopeless?

**Hey there, people!**

**Okay, short chapter this time, and I'm pretty sure this one is just a filler. But, anyway, read, and then review! **

**Charlie **

I could do nothing but stare back as the cold, empty eyes continued to look as though it could see right through me. It didn't look...normal, not right, like something you see on a horror film before some big alien creature comes out and kills everyone on sight. The phase, _if looks could kill, _ran through my head, before it finally emerged.

In front of me was a huge, and I mean huge, grey wolf the size of a horse. Its legs must've been as tall as my shoulders and as thick as both my legs put together. Its face bent down to my level to growl in my face. My eyes were fixed on its razor sharp teeth, yellow and sharp, and slightly apart as if it was going to bite me at any moment. My hand, however was reaching down my leg to my knife strap, where there was a shiny silver dagger that I planned to distract it with (I doubted my small dagger could do any lasting damage to an animal _that _size).

It suddenly snarled and starting getting closer as I backed away slowly. Then, as fast as I could, I pulled the dagger from my thigh and stabbed the blade as hard as I could into its shoulder, which was as high as I could get it before it realized what I was doing. It howled in pain, and was going to sink its teeth into me faster than I could get another swing at it.

But, before it had a chance to even step forward, it whipped its head to the left, hearing something my human ears couldn't. It snarled in anger, turned around to growl at me, and then ran back the way it had come into the forest.

I stood where I was, not wanting to draw attention to any other wolves that might be around, and also to relieve the shock. What the hell was something like _that _doing out here in the first place? And on its own?

'Bella!' Edward ran through the clearing in the trees faster than I thought possible, crouching in front of me and snarling as he scanned the area.  
Emmett and Carlisle soon followed, bursting into the clearing and braced ready to kill. All men were on high alert.

'Did it hurt you?' Edward said taking my face in his hands. His eyes seemed to scan me, checking to see if I was alright no matter what I answered.

'No, it didn't get a chance to.' It seemed they all knew what had just been here. They could probably smell it.

'God, Bella.' Emmett sighed, striding over and pulling me into a hug. 'Why does trouble always seem to find you?' he chuckled darkly before pulling away and running into the woods faster than my human eyes could follow. Carlisle gave a sigh of relief, nodded his head at me, and then took after his would-be son.

As soon as he had left, I turned to Edward with question plain on my face. He chuckled darkly, almost identical to Emmett, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, beginning to lead me out. I knew there was no way I could fight it; not even Carlisle would permit me to be in these woods tonight.

'Edward,' I said, at the same time he said 'Bella.'

We grinned at each other for a moment before he gestured for me to continue. 'Edward, what the hell was something _that _size, doing out here? God it was huge!' I shook my head incredulously.

'It wasn't a regular wolf, Bella.' He said. His words had a double meaning to them, but there was something I had to find out first.

'So, did you find anything in your search? All I could find was hair from that damn wolf, and a used bullet, but that could be from any gun held by anyone. You know how popular hunting is out here, even if it is illegal.' I sighed and waited for more promising news. There's nothing like going on an important search, only to finish it empty-handed. And Charlie was _still _out there.

'We found Charlie's scent a few yards away from the meeting point, and a few wolf trails leading from that spot; but apart from that, nothing. We followed the scents, but they were all false, leading us in a circle back to where we started. Someone has been clever. They've masked up their scent so well that even we can't follow it!' he growled in frustration and looked at me in apology. 'I'm sorry we couldn't find him, Bella. But we'll get Jasper out here later, he has a better sense of tracking, and he's had a lot more experience than we have. Other than that, we have to let the police do their job.'

'Yeah, all 3 of them.' I glared at the floor, not meeting Edward's gaze. He had tried his hardest, we all had. But there was really nothing more we could do at the moment. If the scent had been covered up, we could only wait until someone more experienced could uncover something, or else wait for the police to handle it.

Yeah, right.

'Well, we tried, right?' I said quietly, looking up at Edward with something like terror hidden behind my eyes. I didn't think I couldn't lose another parent, not so soon after mom's death. I mean, a year isn't exactly that long. Oh God, and Caleb…

'We're still trying, and we're going to find him, Bella, trust me.' I nodded my head, but only at the very last part. Maybe we would find him, but necessarily alive….

He suddenly flung me on his back and sprinted through the forest, back to the Cullen house, gliding past the trees as though they were vapour. The forest streaked past me in a blur of green and brown; small animals seemed to be frozen in place as Edward came by them. Huh, maybe they were better at sensing danger than me.

This thought made me throw my head back and laugh out loud. Emmett was right, trouble always does seem to find me! Edward looked back and grinned at me, glad at the change in my mood. Have I mentioned how _gorgeous _his crooked smile is?

We broke through the last trees to find Jasper and Alice stood on the porch waiting for us. Both had looks of disappointment and pity on their faces, so I assumed they knew that the search had been a failure. Jasper was the first to approach, his arm around a tired-looking Alice. Well, I doubted visions were a picnic.

'I'm sorry, Bella.' Jasper said kindly. I waved my hand dismissively – who wants pity, anyway?

'I've been keeping an eye on the future, but there's no change.' I sort of...deflated at Alice's words. She was my last hope of good news. After all, if Charlie was alive, or if he had been found, Alice would be the first to know.

Emmett and Carlisle came through the trees behind us, neither out of breath, but both looking extremely windswept.

'Did you catch it, Em?' I asked, already knowing the answer.

'No. We must've followed it for a couple of miles, but the trail just disappeared. We figured it must've-' he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, looking at Edward who was giving him a hard look. I looked between the two, but they seemed to be having some kind of silent conversation. After a few long moments Emmett shook his head incredulously and headed over to my car, as Rosalie and Esme had just arrived.

I pulled a still angry-looking Edward towards the house, keeping an eye on his face the whole time. He was a mixture of angry, sad, scared, worried and contemplative, which worried me a little. He stopped me before we could get into the house, though, and pointed to the forest. He didn't hold my hand this time, he just walked in, beckoning for me to follow, and I could do nothing but do as he asked. He was acting strange to say the least, and Edward never lost his calm facade, even in the worst of times.

I walked a few paces behind him for around 20 minutes, watching him run his hand through his hair – something he only did when he was particularly stressed. He occasionally glanced behind him to make sure I was alright, then continued with the silence. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I would've bet everything it was to do with what Emmett was going to say. I didn't like things being kept from me, and Edward knew this. So why was he being like this? Suddenly the trees ended, and I recognized the clearing.

It was our meadow.

Flashbacks of Edward, sparkling in the spring sunlight came flooding back to me, and I was disappointed there was no sun today. But...why would he bring me here, of all places? Sure it was a beautiful place, but it was like anywhere else at 9:30pm, in the dark; cold and empty.

'Edward, why did you bring me here? Emmett had something to say!' I said with exasperation clear in my voice.

'Bella,' he sighed, trying to think of what to say next. 'I brought you here so we could talk about...things.'

'What things?' but I could already feel my heartbeat getting faster.

'Things...about us.' he didn't look me in the eyes as he said this, and I felt a sickening wave of disappointment run through me. I shouldn't have listened to my desires. I should've just ignored him whilst I could, instead of letting him in and letting myself get broken after he got want all boys want.

'I should've known.' I scoffed and shook my head.

'What do you mean?' he said, confusion plain on his face. How stupid did he think I was?

'You're dumping me, right? I have to put up with some shit, and then, miraculously at the same time you realize our relationship isn't working out. Well I'll save you the trouble, shall I?' My voice dripped with sarcasm as I turned to walk away. That's what you get for opening your heart to let any bastard into it, I said to myself. Why did I always screw relationships up?

'No! God, no!' he almost shouted, pulling my arm to stop me from walking away.

He looked at me with confusion and hurt plain on his face, my arm still in his grip, like I would disappear if he ever let go. Which, in theory, I suppose I would. All I could do was look back, my own confusion clouding over the anger I had previously felt. Now why the hell wasn't I in control of my own emotions anymore? It felt like as soon as I had entered this godforsaken town, my emotions, actions and thoughts had all been taken over by some higher being. And that didn't suit me, not one bit. I had to be in control. Had to be. Or else...disaster, most of the time.

'Bella, I wanted to be the one to tell you this, and I'm not sure how you'll take it.' he sighed and bit his lip, looking anywhere but at me.

'What is it? I can handle it.' I said, only lying a little bit. And, by the doubtful look he gave me, he knew that.

'Bella, vampires aren't the only supernatural thing out there.' he said uneasily, as if waiting for my reaction.

Wait, was that _it_?

'Edward, I kinda figured that out for myself.' I couldn't help but laugh.

'It has to do with your father's disappearance.

That sobered me up.

'We think it was a werewolf.'

Werewolf? Oh shit.

'That's why you're mad?'I had to admit, that didn't make much sense.

'Yes, I can't believe we've been out looking for some mangy mutt, whilst you were out there! God's sake this is a joke.' he muttered, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

His words hit me like a freight train. He knew. He knew what had happened to Charlie, and he hadn't told me shit. Now THAT was a joke. How could he keep something as important as - oh, the fact that my FATHER hasn't just disappeared, but he's been taken by a goddamn wolf - from me?!

'How long?' I said through unmoving lips. 'How long have you known?'

There was a long pause 'Since before we went out searching.' he admitted.

I knew it.

I threw my hands up in frustration, giving him a look of incredulity. 'You didn't think this was something I needed to know?! I mean, I'm out in the woods looking for bullets and shit, when really I should've been looking for a 300 pound werewolf the size of a horse! For God's sake, Edward! And Charlie, he needs our help now! Who knows how long a damn wolf is going to keep him alive.' I shrieked, starting to run into the words, my thoughts only on Charlie. I knew for a fact that he wouldn't last long if he was in fact with a werewolf, even if the closest I had ever come to a wolf was in the woods, and the closest to a werewolf was when I watched Van Helsing for crying out loud (not counting earliers attack, as I didn't know what it was).

'Bella!' he grabbed me by the waist and carried me like a caveman as he ran out of the meadow. Oh come ON. 'You can't go running off right now!'

'I can never go anywhere because it might 'Harm my safety' or whatever shit you and Emmett are always coming up with! I can handle myself!' I shouted, trying in vain to loosen Edward's stone-like grip.

'SO you keep saying, and yet, you always do as we say. If you cared so much, why don't you just do whatever the hell you want?!' he roared. Well hell, I had never heard Edward shout so loud before. And, naturally for my stubborn personality, I reacted ferociously to it.

'Get the hell of me!' I screamed as he ran.

'Who the hell do you think you are?! You'd better do as we say, Bella, because so help me if some werewolf attacks you, I'm not going to do shit about it!'

'Ha! I hope it fucking kills you!'

'You're absolutely pathetic! You say you can handle yourself and that you love Charlie and Emmett, but all you really care about is yourself! Selfish bitch!' he shouted louder than I had ever heard anybody shout. And of course, that really finalized things.

'Shut the fuck up!' I kicked him in the face as hard as I could, which made him drop me and grab his face. Hard- ass vampire, I think not. I kicked him in the stomach, which made him double over, then I hit his back as hard as I could, which made him flip over so he was now on the floor.

And then I ran.

Luckily for me we had just about arrived at the Cullen house, and all I had to was sprint in the house, grab my car keys, sprint back out again and get the fuck out of there. Oh, and pray that Edward wasn't up to following me.

I ran into the house, spying my keys on the kitchen side. I practically dove for them, and was about to run out of the house when suddenly a confused Jasper was blocking my way.

'Bella, what is it? What's wrong? Alice?' he said in confusion as Alice ran from the living room, searching for something wildly.

'Bella!' she shrieked. 'I've just seen you and Edward...' she trailed off, turning from me to Carlisle, who had just appeared behind me, his hands on my shoulders and a worried look on his face.

'What is it, Bella? Alice? Have you seen or found something?' he asked, looking at us in suspicion.

'No, Edward and I had a fight. Like a major, major fight.' well, saying you wished a werewolf would kill your boyfriend really isn't a good thing.

'Oh...' Alice said in the awkward silence where no-one seemed to know what to say. She hand Jasper trailed into the living room, with Carlisle and I close behind them.

Edward never came into the house.

I made a beeline for Emmett as soon as I walked into the room, letting him hug me as I got to him. I was starting to feel crap yelling at Edward like that.

'It'll be okay.' Rosalie whispered, stroking my hair. I felt the traitor tears falling down my face.

Well, if he had pointed out a few home truths, I couldn't just cry about it, could I?

'Well, what happened out there?' Jasper asked a little bit impatiently. And for a heart sinking moment I thought he was talking about me and Edward.

'Jasper, it was a werewolf, and I'm going to go out and kill it.' I said strongly.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

**Anyone else getting tired of Bella's cocky attitude? I'm starting to...**

**But, she's used to being the leader, and fearless! So don't hate her too much!**

**What did you think? Review!**

**Charlie**


	20. Found

**Hey there (:**

**It's been a while, hasn't it?**

**I'm going to apologize now, because I'm writing a new novel of my own, and I don't really have time to write My Vampire Romance. But I will anyway.**

**Only a few chapters left! *Cries***

**Anyway, read and review!**

The first thing that I registered was a dishevelled Edward running into the room, shouting at the top of his lungs and making wild hand gestures. Not that I was looking at his face, mind, anywhere but there.

I never heard what he said, though, as everyone bar Alice was shouting as well.

'Werewolves! Oh my Lord!'

'Now can everyone just please, _calm down?'_

'Is anywhere in this town safe? For God's sake!'

'Oh this just gets better and better!'

'We have to kill them, no doubt it. We have to end it before they can hurt one of us.'

'Am am the only one who thinks we need to get Bella out of here?!' I flinched as I singled out that one.

I didn't bother getting into the argument – no-one would listen to me anyway. But I wasn't the only one sitting out. As I shook my head at my family, Alice caught my eye. She was sat on the white loveseat by the window, her face in her hands and her torso bent over her knees. If she weren't a vampire, I would've thought she had a major headache.

I made my way across the room slowly, trying not to get in the way of everyone who was shouting. She didn't look up as I approached, which worried me even more. Even in this racket she should've been able to hear me.

'Alice?' I asked when I got over to her. She didn't even move when I touched her shoulder 'Alice, what's wrong?' I asked gently.

She finally looked up at me, her face blank and her eyes seeing something I couldn't. I knew now that she had had at least one vision in my presence, and yet I had never noticed a thing. Seems like all I do lately is miss things.

'Bella' she said when she finally seemed to see me 'you need to get them to stop; I've seen something.' She said quietly.

'What did you see, Alice?' I said, harsher than I intended.

'It's about Charlie.' She mumbled before resting her head on her knees again.

Huh, I guess visions were no picnic.

I stood up and faced the room, but sighed as I realized there was no stopping them. Everyone was screaming their opinions at the top of their voices, drowning out every other noise and person.

Wait, screaming...

I gave a blood-curdling scream that silenced the whole room, and caused all heads to whip round in my direction. Edward started to move forward towards me, but decided against it; smart decision.

'Guys, Alice has seen something.'

Jasper was the first one to sprint towards Alice, taking her in his arms and whispering to her softly. The others gathered around to hear what she had to say, whilst I just stood there not knowing what to do. Edward's gaze met mine, and for a second neither of us looked away, until Alice began to speak, and she was the centre of all my attention.

'Guys, he's going to be found alive within a couple of hours.' She sighed happily.

Emmett almost hit the ceiling he stood up that fast. He punched one arm in the air whilst Rosalie hugged him tightly.

All around the room the others were celebrating the good news, whilst Alice sat in Jasper's lap looking happy, but very, very tired. I had breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the good news, but I still didn't believe I belonged here. It was like I was intruding on a private family moment; something I didn't know how to belong to, let alone experience.

'Bella, are you alright sweetheart?' Esme asked in her motherly tone. Her voice reminded me of the soothing words when I had fallen over and scraped my knees in the second grade; of the encouragement when I had gone on my first date; of the repercussions I had had when I was late in after my curfew. All these memories made my eyes well up with tears whilst Esme pulled me into a tight, but loving hug.

'Darling why are you crying?' she asked soothingly. 'You should be happy! Charlie is safe, and he'll be home soon.'

'I know, and I am.' I whispered. 'You just remind me so, so much of my mother.' The word made fresh tears run down my face. I hadn't called anyone mom in so _long._ 'I miss her so much, and the thought of losing Charlie as well as Caleb has just brought her death back.'

'Oh _Bella.' _She crooned.

'Come on, kid. Let's go home.' Emmett said to me, his hands on my shoulders.

I pulled away from Esme and turned away from everyone else so that no one could see my tears. They were private, and only a handful of people had ever seen them.

I walked out of the house without another word, feeling the exhaustion come back to me. I looked back at the house once I had climbed into my car, and saw that Edward was stood at the top step looking back at me. I didn't smile, or even wave. We would have to sort ourselves out some other time.

Emmett joined him on the top step after a few moments, looking like he was laying into him. After a moment, Edward nodded resignedly and went back inside, but not before giving my car one last wistful look.

When Emmett was in the car I drove home, not talking, but barely concentrating on the road. After all that had happened today, I was on autopilot, relying on pure instinct to get me home.

As we passed the police station, both our heads turned to see if anything was going on. There were no patrol cars there, and the building looked empty. I hoped that meant Charlie was going to be found soon. Emmett scoffed and shook his head at the lack of police here, but said nothing, which was wise.

As soon as we got to the house I headed straight for the stairs, intending to go straight to bed. Of course, nothing ever works out the way I want.

'Bella, can you wait for a moment, kid?' Emmett asked.

I turned to see him standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs, not knowing what to do or say next.

'What is it, Em? I'm really tired, so make it quick.'

'How are you?' he asked simply. I blinked. Was that it?

'Well I went to my ex boyfriends funeral today, yelled at his mother, came home and spilled my soul to my brother, read a letter saying I really never had any control over my future and realized I _really _shouldn't have shouted at said ex boyfriends mother, found out my father was missing, went on a search and had to fight a wolf, almost ripped my boyfriends head off, and then found out that my father was going to be found, but that I would just have to go to school and wait for news. So, how the hell do you think I'm feeling?' I snapped.

I didn't bother waiting for him to answer. I simply stomped up the last few stairs, slammed the door and threw myself on my bed, facing up at the ceiling.

Today had probably taken the lead on the 'worst days of my life' chart. How many things could go so badly in one day, really? Most people were worried about the stupidest things! Getting slapped by bitches for no reason, not doing their homework, what they got on the SAT's. I would gladly trade my entire life for all these things, simply for a goddamn break.

My phone vibrated on my bedside table, reminding me that I had an important, though very unpleasant phone call to make. I was in no mood to call Emily Jones, yet I knew I had to. If she had _told _me who she was, I wouldn't have been such a bitch to her, but the fact that she kept quiet drove me insane. And she hadn't kept her promise to my mother! Why had I been stuck with fucking _Brian, _when I could've been raised with Caleb's family, or Cathy's? Hell, what about my own _father?_

The text I had received was from, sigh, Edward. I felt my heartbeat getting faster before I had even opened the damn phone. The text read:

**Forgive me for being such an ass**

**I love you, always**

An ass, yeah he got that right.

But then I exhaled. It wasn't his fault; all he wanted to do was protect me, even if I didn't need it. We had said some shit, but that could be resolved, right?

I quickly text back, half wanting a response, half not.

**We were both asses.**

**Forgiven?**

The phone buzzed moments after I had sent the previous message.

**Always**

**Forgiven?**

Like he even needed to ask.

**You're always forgiven, and I'm sorry for what I said.**

**See you at school?**

I didn't want to go to school, but like Esme said, they needed to remain inconspicuous, and my absences didn't exactly help that.

**You reacted to me, so I'm sorry.**

**I'll be there, waiting for you.**

'What a dork.' I laughed.

**Good ;)**

**I love you**

**Night baby xx**

How we had managed to forgive each other in the space of 5 minutes I would never know.

**I love you more (:**

**Night angel, baby, sweetheart.**

**And yeah I'm a dork, what you gonna do about it?**

I should've really thought about Alice, but no matter.

I opened my contacts list and found the number I hadn't used in months, and had considered deleting a thousand times before finding a reason to.

And there it was – Emily Jones.

My finger hovered over the call button for a few moments before I finally stabbed the green call button, holding it to my ear quickly so that I couldn't chicken out. God, what would Caleb have said if he knew I was terrified at calling his mother?

He wouldn't say anything; he'd be too busy laughing.

'Hello?' Emily asked suspiciously.

Huh, maybe she hadn't been too chicken to delete my number.

'Emily, it's Bella.'

'I thought I told you never to speak to me again!'

'Emily, I've just got my mother's letter.'

There was a silence at the other end of the line, but I could've sworn I heard a sniffle. I instantly felt bad for earlier, even if she had been a hateful bitch to me.

'So you know.' She said

'Yes, I know everything.'

'And you're calling to blackmail me with this information? Do it, I don't care anymore. If I couldn't protect my own son, why should I protect myself?' she said bleakly.

'No I didn't call to blackmail you! I called to apologize!'

There was another pause.

'Apologize?'

'Yes, Emily. I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. It got me because you didn't know what had been going on with Caleb and I, and I thought you didn't know what he did for a living.'

'Well, apology accepted, Bella. I have to apologize too, for the way I spoke to you. I didn't know that you and Caleb had been broken up since he got shot until after the funeral when Catherine came to speak to me. I honestly thought you didn't love him.' She said without any emotion.

'Apology accepted. Look, Emily, I need to ask you some questions about my family, about your family, and why you didn't take me in after my mother died. You know she would've taken Caleb in without a thought if you had died!' I said, my temper starting to flare again.

'I can answer the last question, but as for the other two, it will have to be another time. Those things are far too private and important to be discussed down the phone.' Once a spy, always a spy.

'I understand.'

She sighed before answering my long-awaited question. 'I didn't take you in because a) I'm a mother and therefore having two teenagers of the opposite sex in the house naturally sends off alarm bells.' This made me laugh out loud for the first time I had ever been with Emily. 'And b) you hated my guts the first time I saw you. But those are just small reasons why their might have been a little conflict. The real reason was blackmail.'

'Blackmail?' I asked, seriously confused.

'When Brian Taylor found out that your mother was a spy, he instantly used it against her. He found out about a year after they started going out, and ever since then he began to manipulate her.' She inhaled deeply before going on. My heart was beating wildly with fear and anger. 'She was going to leave him, move away and change her name so that no one could ever find her, but she was killed a week before she planned to go. It turned out Brian had had her will changed, and that you were now his. Naturally, Ross and I tried to fight for you, but he threatened to expose us if we ever tried to claim you again. I'm sorry, Bella, but it would've been even worse for you if we had all been exposed.' She said quickly.

My blood was boiling. I knew Brian was a nasty fucker, but to manipulate my mom like that just because he knew what she was? If he weren't already dead, I would've torn him apart.

'Thank you, Emily. It feels good to finally know the truth.' I said through gritted teeth.

'Bella,' she warned. 'Don't do anything stupid, do you hear me? He may be a deceitful bastard, but don't kill him. Well, at least not until I get there.' She said.

'He's already dead, he got killed by an animal.'

'Oh I hope it was slow.' She...there was no other word for it, cackled.

'Oh me too!'

'We'll have to meet up so I can answer the rest of your questions. I'm sure you have a few.'

'Only a million.

'Well they can wait. Right now I just want to go to bed and forget everything that's happened.'

'Me too, Emily, me too.'

'Goodnight, Bella, and I wish you the best of luck for your future.'

''bye Emily.'

We hung up simultaneously, and I threw my phone down on the side with more force than necessary.

Fucking Brian.

Fucking Forks.

Fucking Werewolf.

Fucking life.

I rolled over on my side and sighed, trying not to think. I soon fell into a deep sleep, thinking about lorry's and murder.

**

'Hey, Swan!'

'Where you been at, skiver?!'

'Nice to have you back, Swan!'

'Morning, Bella!'

'Bella, good to see you!'

Some of the few calls I got as I climbed out of my car in the student parking lot at school.

I locked my car and looked up at the school. It seemed like years had passed since I had last been here, when in reality it had only been a week. I wasn't the same person who had walked in, my only worry being how my father would take to having me back in his life.

I'd give anything to having that as my only worry.

'Bella!' Alice called as she opened the door of Edward's Volvo.

I waved at her, but made no move to get off the bonnet of my car, my head resting against the windshield. It felt like all my energy had been sucked away, leaving me an empty shell full of bad memories and nasty feelings.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Cullen's and Emmett walking toward me in concern, but I didn't care. Monday mornings were the absolute worst.

'Hey, I didn't hear you leave the house.' Emmett said in concern. 'Is everything okay?'

'You're a vampire, and yet you didn't hear me leave the house. I'm kinda worried.' I said without opening my eyes. 'And define 'everything'.'

'Bella, have you looked in a mirror this morning?' Alice asked. 'No offence, but you don't look great.' I sighed and snatched the mirror from her outstretched hand, rolling my eyes.

My hair wasn't as straight as usual, but it was flying around in the wind, making me look witchy; nothing strange about that. I was only wearing basic makeup, and there were no spots to speak of; nothing unusual about that. My eyes were- oh.

My eyes were – dead looking. They were usually sparkly brown, but they were just like mud. There was no life behind them, and they seemed dull and limp compared to my made-up face. Underneath my eyes was a week's worth of bags, looking like bruises under my eyes.

Alice was right, I didn't look great.

'Who cares what I look like, anyway?' I shrugged, handing her the mirror back. 'I'm tired, get over it.'

'Bella, I don't know how to say this, but,' Jasper said uneasily, glancing at Edward and Emmett for back up. 'The only emotion I'm getting from you is depression. It's so bad that it's rolling off you in waves.'

Depressed? Shit.

'I'm not depressed.' I said quickly.

'Bella, these are your emotions, they don't lie.' He said gently.

'Uhmm, Bella if you're depressed, maybe we should take your weapons off you. Just for a little while.' Emmett said uneasily, not looking me in the eye.

In fact, looking around, only Edward would look at me without any sympathy or fucking _embarrassment. _Well if they were embarrassed, they could all go to hell.

'I'm sorry that I can't always be happy and chirpy like fucking Alice all the time, or jokey laughy like Emmett or even Mr. Fucking Cool like Jasper! Regular humans get sad and depressed, and shit happens.' I snapped, jumping off the car and taking Edward's hand and starting to walk away. 'Oh and guys,' I said, turning back around. 'Depression does _not _always equal suicide!'

**

'I'm sorry about earlier.' Edward said when we sat down for first period English. Somehow, he had managed to wangle his timetable to match my own. Go figure. 'But Bella, are you depressed?' he asked quietly, reluctantly.

'A little,' I admitted begrudgingly 'but that doesn't mean I'm going to commit suicide! I cannot _believe _Emmett would think so little of me as to come out with something like that. It's utterly pathetic.'

'He's just worried.' He had already finished the practical, and so we were free to talk. 'And so am I. But I know you'd never go to those lengths, Bella.'

'I'm glad you think so.' I muttered. 'Even my own brother thinks I'm a suicidal maniac.'

'You know he doesn't really-'

'Alright, time's up!' Mr Banner shouted, effectively ending the conversation.

We didn't get to speak again until we got out of lesson. But even then, we were stopped before he could start. We were stopped by none other than Jacob Black and his friends.

'Hey, Bella, can we speak to you?' he asked uneasily, fidgeting slightly.

'Uhmm, sure.' I said, nut understanding why they would want to talk to me, of all people.

'Somewhere...private?' he asked again.

Edward took that as his cue, throwing his hands in the air, giving a final threatening look to the boys, and then striding off to his next lesson. I watched him as he walked down the corridor, only looking back to the boys when he had turned the corner.

Jacob nodded to an empty classroom, and we all filed into it in silence. Sam was the first to speak.

'Bella, I'm sorry for the way we treated you, it was a mistake.' He said sombrely.

'Damn right it was.' I said coldly. There was no way I was going to be lenient with these guys. They both hurt me and majorly pissed me off.

'Bella, we can't tell you the real reason we don't like the Cullen's, or your brother. It would mean great danger for us, as well as a punishment.' Jared said.

All the boys were giving me pleading looks, begging me to understand. But I couldn't. They tossed me aside for who my other friends were, saying I didn't understand them, then randomly wanted to talk again, even though they were still talking in riddles.

Yeah, whatever.

'Look, if you're just going to carry on speaking shit to me, then I don't want to hear it. Enough has happened to me in the last week, and I just feel _so _tired. Why don't you let me know when you decide to speak properly, alright?' I said without any emotion, heading straight for the door.

'Bella,' Jacob said, blocking my way. 'We know Charlie's missing'

Well hell, don't bother to beat around the bush, Jake.

'And you wanted to tell me how sorry you are for my loss? Tell me it'll be okay? Say that you're thinking of me? Save your breath. In about a week's time I'll get the same shit from everyone else, so if I were you, I wouldn't bother.'

Who cares that Alice had had some amazing prophetic vision about Charlie getting found alive and well? I didn't believe in any of that shit for a second. Did magick help save lives? No it fucking did not.

'Bella, we want to help you find him!' Quil said quickly before I could walk out the door. 'We know those woods better than anyone; we could get to him!'

'Wait,' I said suspiciously, all my guards up as I turned around. 'How the hell did you guys know he'd gone missing? And how did you know it had happened in the woods?' now that wasn't right.

They all exchanged a glance that maybe I wasn't meant to see. Whatever, I was past caring.

'Bella, can you forgive us for what we said to you?' Paul asked. I knew that was hard for macho Paul, usually the one with the fiery temper. But he looked so repentant, I just couldn't say no.

'Alright, alright. Apology accepted.' I said, holding up my hands in surrender.

And that was when I was attacked.

Try having 6 _huge, _muscley guys hugging you when you're only 5" tall. I couldn't even stagger back, they were just everywhere! All I could do was squeal and laugh my head off, trying not to suffocate.

_You don't remember me but I, remember you._

_I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you..._

_And dream I do..._

'Guys let go, that might be the police!' I shrieked, running over to where my bag was on the table. I only just got to in time, and all the boys watched as I answered.

'Hello?'

'Bella? We've got him. He's alive.'

**What did you think?**

**Review, and I'll be more likely to update quicker ;)**

**Charlie **


	21. Coming Clean

**Hey, thanks for being patient (:**

**Okay, I've been writing a lot lately, so this is in earlier than I expected. But there are only 5 chapters until the end! But there **_**is **_**going to be a sequel, I know that, so there'll be details when I post it, okay?**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this, it's much appreciated!**

I didn't look behind me once when I entered the hospital.

Not to apologize to the woman I ran into, the nurse I yelled at, or even the patient who I sprinted past and almost knocked over. It was one of those times where once I started nothing was going to stop me.

As soon as I caught sight of room 306, I stopped dead in my tracks, flinging the door open without looking.

Deputy Davies was sat in with Charlie, both looking extremely grave. Both heads snapped up to me when the door hit the opposite wall, and I strode in, Emmett close on my heels.

Charlie had looked better, that was for sure. There was a long gash running down the side of his face, but it wouldn't last long. His eyes were tired, but not bruised; he had a broken arm, and I bet he was bruised and sore as hell, but dang him if he said anything.

'Bells,' he beamed.

So I did what any normal kid does. I hugged him.

'I'm so glad you're alright, dad.' I whispered.

'So am I, kid, so am I.'

I pulled away and turned to Deputy Davies, who was smiling at us. I couldn't thank him enough, who knows what could have happened to him out there?

'Thank you for finding him, officer. But I wasn't too happy about not being informed that he was missing.'

'Uhmm, actually, Miss

Swan, we didn't find him. An anonymous caller phoned us to say he was safe.'

'No name?' I asked in suspicion as Emmett slapped Charlie on the back. Men.

'No, and the call was made from a payphone, so we can't even trace it. As Charlie was found safe and well, we won't treat this as suspicious.'

'Have you taken my dad's statement?' I asked quietly, glancing back to make sure he wasn't listening. Like me, Charlie didn't like to be taken care of, nor have duties taken off his hands. It would just hurt his pride if I started asking about witness statements.

'Not yet, he said he wanted to talk to you two first.'

I looked back at my dad, who was laughing with Emmett. Though, there was something that looked like confusion, or worry in his eyes as he looked at his son. I needed to know what had happened in those woods, and I needed to know now.

'Thank you, Officer Davies; I'll call you when you can take his statement.' I said with a perky smile, leading him out of the door and closing it gently behind him.

Charlie went silent as soon as the door had closed and I turned around. Now that there was no one else in the room, there was no reason to pretend like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The question was, how much did Charlie remember?

'Dad-'

'Dad-'

'Kids-' we all said at the same time, before there was an awkward laugh.

'Look, kids, I know there's something weird going on, and I know you know about it. I'm going to tell you what happened, and then I want the truth from you both, alright?' he said sternly, sounding like a father for the first time since I had moved back home.

'Yeah that's fine.'

'Sure, okay.' We chorused morosely. This was not going to be pretty.

Charlie sighed and stared at the ceiling rather than looking at us. So this is guilt, I thought.

'The last thing I remember before I woke up was walking through the woods to the meeting point and hearing a growl. When I turned around, something jumped at me and presumably hit me on the head, because the next thing I know, I'm in some old building.' He sighed and shook his head, looking anywhere but at the two of us.

'What happened when you woke up?' I asked in an emotionless tone. I was no longer Bella Swan, daughter of the guy who had just been found alive, but Bella Swan, agent of Zeiracorp, and here to get a job done. The abductor was still out there.

'There were three men, or what I thought were men. They said that they needed to get to someone, and having me there would get the person they needed. Obviously I had no idea what they were talking about, until they said the names, "Cullen" and "Swan".' He said with raised eyebrows.

'Who were the men, did you recognize them?' I asked, filing every bit of information away for later. It looks as though I'm going out tonight...

'I don't know who they were, all I know is that they were looking for either one of you two, or one of the Cullen's, and that really makes me angry! Bella, Em, do _you _know anybody who would do something like this?' he asked with one eyebrow raised turning into a cop. And I really, _really _hate cops.

'Dad, just tell us what happened.' I snapped, getting impatient with him. 'Who were the men, what did they do, and did they say anything to you?' it felt like I was talking to a fucking 10 year old.

Both Emmett and Charlie were looking at me funny now, but I didn't care. Not only did I need to know what had happened, but I needed to inform the Cullen's so we could figure out what to do with it. And unless you've tried to talk to someone who isn't telling you what you need to hear, you have no idea how irritating it is.

'I have no idea who the men were, and all they said to me was that I'd better hope that the person they were looking for came soon, or I'd be dead.' He shuddered. 'And as for what they did...' he broke off and stared down at the faded cover on his bed. His eyes filled with tears, and I figured those guys must've done something pretty awful.

Oh _shit, _they transformed in front of him.

_Shit, shit, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck. _We are all _screwed. _

'I think I know what they did.' I said as quietly as I could so that only Emmett's vampire hearing could pick it up. 'Em, I think they were werewolves, and I think they transformed in front of him.'

Emmett stiffened next to me, and his eyes became like slits. I literally felt the growl beginning in his chest as he became more wound up and angry. I put a hand on his arm, and I had to hand it to him, he tried to calm down, but it was only for show.

'Kids,' he sighed, 'I know there's more to this world than we see, and I know there's more to you to than meets the eye. I don't expect you two spill your souls to me, but I'm sick of the lies! And after what I saw...after those men, they turned into...'

'Wolves?' I said gently.

Charlie's head whipped up to me so fast I thought he might hurt himself. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped as he looked between the pair of us accusingly.

'You...you know?'

'I think so, dad.' I sighed. 'There are things going on with me and Emmett, and I don't know where to begin.' I sighed, looking up at my brother. He nodded and took the lead.

'Dad, the accident in the woods killed me.' he sighed, staring at the floor. 'I was attacked by a bear, and it killed me. I had to change into something else in order to survive.'

If Charlie had been shocked before, he was certainly shocked now. His breath was coming quicker, and he was having trouble speaking. I was very, _very _glad we were in a hospital.

'You...you _died?_ Then, you _changed? _Emmett, what did you change into, I don't understand!' he babbled.

'Dad, I'm a vampire.' Charlie scoffed and shook his head incredulously at his son, not believing a word. 'I'll prove it,' he said.

He picked up the chair by Charlie's bed and bent one of the legs, twisting it complicatedly before putting it back into shape. He then ran around the room a few times at his top speed, creating a breeze in the warm room.

I daren't even look at Charlie.

'Oh my God.' He breathed.

'Yeah, that's why I moved out for a little while.' Emmett said. 'I needed to get myself under control for you. When I moved back in, it was only after I had completely made sure I had my...ugh, thirst under control.' He said uneasily.

'Bella?' Charlie whispered. 'Are...are you...like Emmett? Are you a...vampire?' he stuttered.

'Nope.' I said confidently, really not caring anymore. 'I'm something else. Here, this should explain a lot of questions about me and mom.' I said, getting her letter from my inside pocket, where it always stayed. If Charlie didn't like what we were, then he was going to have to deal with it. Simple as.

I watched his face as he read my mother's last letter. A range of shock, happiness, and sadness went across his face before he settled into deep grief.

'I can't believe this.' He said when he had finished. 'I wouldn't have told anyone what she was! I loved her!'

'It wasn't anything to do with you telling, dad. It was to do with her leaving so that you wouldn't get killed. Why do you think I haven't told you anything? What you don't know won't kill you, quite literally in the case of me and mom.' I sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed.

If he didn't accept me...well fuck knows.

'One of my kids is a mythological creature, and the other is a government spy.' He said to himself, shaking his head. 'I always knew you guys were special, but this? I just can't believe this is happening.' His head was resting in his hands, and I knew he would be crying. But what was I supposed to do?

Emmett looked over and saw the guilt on my face. And that was when he lost it. He may be a vampire, but he was still my big brother and he couldn't stand to see anything upset me.

'So what are you going to do, dad?' he snapped, causing Charlie to look up at us. 'Are you going to turn Bells in and get the torches and pitchforks on me?' he said angrily.

I had to put my hand on his arm to stop him from going any further. It was awkward enough as it is.

'No, why on Earth would I do that?' he asked, confused.

Emmett just glared at him, still pissed, and clearly not believing. Great, it was up to me.

'Em, it's okay, he's not going to do anything.' I said softly. Then I turned to Charlie. 'Dad, Emmett has been living at home as a vampire for around a year now, and I've been living there as a spy for a couple of months. Nothing has happened, we aren't going to harm you, so can you accept us for what we are?' I asked half-heartedly.

Charlie smiled warmly, beckoning us forward. I sat on the bed, whilst Emmett stood at the head of the bed, close to Charlie. He put an arm around us both, looking at each of us in turn.

'You're my children, and nothing that you say or do can make me love you any less than I do. Sure, you're both out of the ordinary,' he grinned. 'But I expected nothing less from the children of Renee Swan! Em, you may be a vampire, and I take that to mean the Cullen's are also...' he said with an eyebrow raised. Emmett nodded, and he carried on. 'But you are still me son, and that's all that matters. And Bella,' he said, turning to me 'You are so much like your mother, in every way possible. I always loved her, and I will always love you, no matter what. You're something special, kid, and I'm proud of you. I'm proud of both of you.' He beamed, hugging each of us.

'You don't mind that I drink-'

'I don't need to know _all _the gory details, son.' He laughed.

It was the perfect family moment, as far as we went. Emmett and Charlie were laughing, being the typical father and son, whilst the daughter watched on with a smile on her face. Because I did. It was lovely for me to see, but I didn't want to interrupt.

That's just how I am when it comes to the family – don't get too emotionally attached. Even if I had been worrying out of my head for Charlie's safety.

'Guys?' I interrupted. 'I'm gonna go out running, if that's okay? I haven't been lately, and I should.'

Charlie looked at me in confusion before realization dawned on him, and he nodded his head. Emmett hugged me tightly, and said, 'in a bit, kid.', before I walked briskly out of the door.

The way out was a little different from the way in. First, I wasn't in a major rush, so I observed everything around me, like I had been trained to do. Nurses with clipboards walked past me into different wards, putting on a happy smiling face to disguise how exhausted they were. Patients shuffled around in hospital gowns, supported by a loved one. Doctors walked around importantly, looking down their noses at the nurses who were doing all the basic work. Assholes.

'Bella!' someone called. I turned to see Carlisle just coming out of his office, looking a little strained.

Unusual for a vampire.

'Hey, Carlisle,' I said, waiting for him. 'What's up?'

'Ahh, long day at work.' Liar, vampires don't need sleep. 'I've been checking on Charlie every half hour, and everything seems to be going alright.' His expression suddenly became very anxious, and his hands were placed on my shoulders. 'Bella, when he came in, I could smell werewolf on him.' he said warily. So it was true.

'Yeah that's what I figured.' I sighed. 'Carlisle, we had to tell him everything.'

'Are you sure that's wise?' he asked warily.

'He saw the werewolves transform, so there wasn't much we could've done.'

'Hmm,' he said thoughtfully 'we're just going to have to deal with it. But, I best go and check on him again. See you later, Bella.' He smiled, switching from Carlisle Cullen to Dr. Cullen.

'Bye, Carlisle.'

As soon as he had turned away, I walked towards the front doors, suddenly glad that Charlie's room had been on the ground floor. There was no one I knew in the foyer, so I was free to go straight outside without anyone noticing me.

The sides and back of the hospital are the woods, completely surrounding it apart from the main road in front. There was a rail blocking the woods from the hospital, but that was where I needed to be.

I dumped my jacket in my car, picking out two silver knives from underneath my seat and strapping them to my biceps. I looked around me to make sure no one was watching before I stepped over the railing and into the forest, feeling the moist air dampen my skin. It couldn't have been over 30, but already I was quite warm. Running would heat me up even more, but I loved it.

I began to run as fast as I could from between the trees, dodging branches and jumping over roots. PE teachers will tell you to jog slowly so that you have more stamina to keep going. I don't use that. U run as fast as I can in dark, gloomy places so I can get an adrenaline rush , spurring me on and encouraging me to keep going. Besides, I was as fit as I could possibly be, so why would I want to try and increase my stamina anyway?

Running was my most favourite sport. I felt free when I ran, like I was leaving behind all my troubles and starting afresh. Of course, it wasn't ever that simple, but I could dream, couldn't I? The breeze I was creating made my hair flow behind me, causing

out the knife faster than I thought possible, and held it out to the my scent to fly everywhere. Which was probably why it happened.

I was suddenly stopped dead in my tracks with the feeling that I wasn't alone anymore. There was a static movement in the air, like someone, or something was changing... and that was when the wolf emerged from the bushes, just like it had done the previous night.

It wasn't the same one, I was damn well sure of that. This one had a black matted coat, and its eyes were jet black to match. It was much more savage and brutal, which really was saying something. Like the last one, it was as tall as a horse, and as wide as 2 Bella Swan's.

It snarled at me, and lunged for my throat. I whipped wolf. The blade went directly into its neck, making it whine and stagger away in agony. Whilst it was distracted, I lunged for it, making a deep gash in its chest. That seemed to keep it away from its pain, and turn it all into anger. It growled at me savagely, pacing slowly to get the right angle. All I could do was grip both knives tightly, concentrating hard on penetrating the heart.

It seemed to fly as it lunged, but it never came into contact with me. Instead of colliding with me, it hit yet another wolf. It was russet brown, and seemed to have come to defend me at the last minute, though I had no idea why. They both circled each other, snarling dangerously whilst I got into my own fighting stance. As they leapt towards each other, the russet brown wolf was thrown to one side like a rag doll, smacking against a tree and falling to the ground. It was a sad sight, but I couldn't waste anytime worrying about it.

The black wolf, almost gone itself, was getting ready for the last one, the one that would kill me. It was already pissed at me; there was no way it was going to let me live any longer, no matter how well a fight I put up.

But there was no way I was going out without defending myself.

It leaped almost gracefully, a silhouette against the setting sun, and maybe the last thing I would ever see. Still, I held my ground, keeping the knife angling upwards towards the wolf's chest. But it never reached me, after all.

Just as it was about to reach me, something blurred past me, knocking me roughly aside and tossing the wolf through the trees. They were out of sight, but all I could hear was a snapping and crunching of bones, which I hoped belonged to the black wolves.

My head was numb, really numb as I sat up. The russet coloured wolf was beginning to stir, also, and I knew it was about time I got out of there. But I needed to know what had saved me! And I was about to find out. Emerging from the trees in front of me was a tall figure.

Wait, Edward!

'Edward?' I called to it. It seemed to freeze, as though my words were particularly hurtful to it, but then it carried on further out of the trees.

'Not quite, Bella.' A wind chime voice said. It sure had changed, but as my heartbeat got faster and faster I knew it was the voice I knew so well.

'Caleb?' I breathed, terrified, as my supposedly dead best friend emerged from the trees.

**Like it? Not like it?**

**Review and I'll be quicker at updates, I promise!**

**Charlie**


	22. Lies

**Well, I'm pretty proud of myself if I do say so myself! What was it, a few days since I updated? I've just been a whizz, just typing and typing a load of random shit :L**

**Loving the reviews from the last chapter, and I hope to get more like that for this one *hint**hint* I think a lot of you were pleased to see Caleb back, even if he isn't quite himself (:**

**But yeah, if any of you are confused about the plot line, just ask me and I'll mail you and explain where you're stuck. Bella is a very complicated character and some people might not get why she does what she does.**

**Anyway, thanks for staying with me this far! Only 4 more chapters left! *cries* and it's official, there will be a sequel! Whoop! **

**Anyway, here you go, the next chapter of My Vampire Romance (:**

**Read and Review**

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'Oh my God,' I breathed, as he stepped out fully from the trees. 'Oh God, oh God, oh God.

He was a vampire, a fucking vampire! Somehow, instead of dying, he had been brought over by...Carlisle. There was no other explanation...I hoped, really, really hoped.

He looked...good, there was no other way to describe it. He had always been particularly gorgeous, but now his skin glowed beautifully, his posture was more straight and tall, and he was a lot more aware of his surroundings, which really was saying something. Right now he was looking at me tenderly, like he couldn't believe I was really here, but now that I was, he was completely happy. For a moment, he looked completely human.

But that didn't change the fact that he was supposed to be dead!

Don't get me wrong, I didn't want him to die! But seeing him there, with his scarlet eyes, perfect body, and an air of danger, just made me think that this was not the same man I had loved. This wasn't Caleb; it was just a copy, a vampire copy.

Wasn't it?

'This is impossible!' I choked, trying to find the right words 'You're _dead_! I saw you take that bullet for me, there was so much blood...!' I said almost hysterically, looking anywhere but at him.

'It's not impossible, Bella, you know it isn't.' He said soothingly in a voice like caramel, walking towards me with his arm out like he had done every time I was upset and dangerous. 'It happened to Edward, it can happen to me, babe.'

'Stay the hell away from me!' I hissed, making him stop dead in his tracks. He actually flinched, both due to my voice and my words. 'I don't know what the _hell _happened, but I thought you were...Why, why would something like this happen to you?' my words tripped over each other as they fell out of my mouth.

'I didn't _do _anything, Bella. It wasn't my fault, I didn't know what he was doing!' he stopped coming towards me, but his face looked as though by my side was the place he would rather be right now. Fat chance.

I gasped suddenly, sending him into an alert. 'What is it?' he snarled, looking around us. Oh _God,_ he snarled.

'Carlisle did this to you, didn't he?! Carlisle turned you into a vampire!' I accused, my temper overtaking me, but this time I wasn't doing anything to stop it.

'Bella, can you just let me explain, please?' he pleaded, suddenly turning into a 10 year old child.

'No,' I said coldly. 'Now answer my question.'

'Yes,' he admitted after a pause, 'he did this to me.' he said, his head bent in shame.

So if I was mad before, I was definitely mad then. Sure, I hadn't wanted Caleb to die. Okay, okay, I admit, I had been a complete and utter mess when Caleb had "died", but that didn't mean that he had had to become a vampire! Carlisle had taken his life into his own hands, and I didn't like it. What the hell was he supposed to do with himself now? How the hell had he managed to cope with it?

'I knew it,' I said coldly. Avoiding my questions at the funeral, always seeming stressed out, I already knew that wasn't normal. And all the while he had been keeping Caleb away God knows where. 'Where have you _been?' _

'Carlisle had to stash me away somewhere, a place that I couldn't hurt anyone. Bella, my thirst still isn't great, but I would never hurt you. You know that, right?' he almost begged of me.

'I couldn't give a shit about your fucking...' I broke off, seeing something else completely unexpected behind Caleb.

There was no russet brown wolf anymore, only a shirtless Jacob, inching his way up from the ground in obvious pain. Jacob was a fucking _werewolf?! _I felt (pathetically) like I might faint. Had he been the one to hurt Charlie? No, he wouldn't do that. Oh _shit, _the others! So _that _had been the secret they were bound to keep. It wasn't some petty boy secret they had been keeping, it was the fact that they all turned into fucking wolves. Great, just...great.

'Jake,' I whispered, hardly even daring to believe it.

'Bella, please.' He said through clenched teeth, trying to keep his pain to himself.

I shook my head, inching backwards with my hands out. This was absolutely too much. What else had the Cullen's and fucking _Edward _been keeping from me? How many secrets had they been hiding every time I went over to their place? All that fucking time I had been a wreck thinking Caleb was dead, when they all knew he was alive! And Jacob had lied to me as well. He knew all the time that what was going on, and he had never said a thing. He knew that Charlie was missing, he knew that there were wolves in the forest, and, judging from the way he wasn't freaking out at Caleb, he knew he was alive.

Something very obvious dawned on me. Jacob, his brothers and the Cullen's hated each other. All the vampires and werewolves in books and movies were sworn enemies. How ironic.

'Please, babe-'

'Don't you ever call me that again!' I hissed venomously. 'You're dead, and that's how it's going to stay. I don't want to see either of you again, do you fucking hear me?'

'Bella, I'm sorry!' Caleb said with his hands on my shoulders. His scarlet eyes bored into mine, sending me dizzy with the intensity. Wait, he was _doing _something!

'What the hell are you doing?!' I yelled, wrenching free and avoiding his gaze. I was horribly aware that he had had to allow me to move, and that if he really wanted to I could be in Canada right about now.

'I'm just trying to calm you down so that I can explain!'

'I don't want to hear it!'

'Bella-'

'No!' I screamed at the pair of them, sprinting away from them as fast as I could. I could hear them shouting me, but I paid no attention.

I was shaking badly, as weak as that sounds. I couldn't breathe right, and there were tears in my eyes from seeing a supposed dead man walk. My legs were on autopilot, running as fast as my human body would allow, the adrenaline getting me further and further from the two boys I used to trust.

Subconsciously, I had been heading towards the Cullen house when I had been running earlier, a time that felt like years ago. I wasn't too far away, a few moments and I would be there. I had to know the truth, and I had to hear it from someone I could look at without feeling trembling guilt. That's all I had felt when I was spoken to Caleb, no matter how well I had hidden it.

I knew when I was almost there from the lights that were shining through the trees. I wondered if Emmett would be there yet, or if he was still at the hospital with Charlie. All sense of time had left me, and I had no idea what time it was, when I had left the hospital, or what time I was expected back.

I broke through the trees, sprinting to the front door where Alice was waiting for me.

'Bella, what the hell happened?!' she shrieked. 'I couldn't see- Bella?'I shoved past her, running straight through the hallway and muddying up the carpets, but I didn't care. I was either going to get an explanation out of Carlisle or I was going to rip his head from his shoulders. My knives were at the ready, no matter how ineffective they were.

I burst through the living room door, and everyone stood up, including Emmett. My eyes were fixed on Carlisle, as everyone else's were fixed on me.

'How the fuck could you?!'I screamed, the tears finally leaving my eyes. I wiped them away ferociously. This was a time to get totally psyched, not show weakness by crying.

'Bella, please let me explain,' he said quickly, his hands outstretched exactly like Caleb's had been. 'It's honestly not what you think.'

'Bella, you need to be rational.' Esme said calmly, switching on her mother facade. Great, she knew.

'It's okay, Bella, just let him tell you the whole story.' Edward said softly, massaging my shoulders.

I threw off his hands and turned to face the room, my eyes like fire.

'How many of you knew?' I whispered, knowing I'd be screaming if I tried to speak any louder. They all exchanged very guilty looks. 'Alright, I'll change the question. How long have you all known?'I asked slowly. Not one could look me in the eye.

'Carlisle obviously knew on the night, I knew whilst he was doing it, and I told Jasper right then. The rest knew the next night, whilst you were at home.' Alice whispered, probably hoping I didn't catch it.

It was over a fucking week. They had all known for over a week.

'You let me go to that funeral, yell at his mother, and cry my eyes out for a week for someone who wasn't even dead!' I yelled, directing it mainly at Emmett and Edward who were stood next to each other, closest to me on my left.

'Bella please, I-' Edward began, but I had already started.

'And you,' I said, turning to Carlisle. 'What made you think you could play God and turn him like that? Did you know him? Did you know if he wanted to be a vampire? No, of course you fucking didn't!'

'But you were so upset-'

'Life goes on, Carlisle! And you,' I said, turning to Alice, who looked as though she might cry if it were possible. 'You're supposed to be my friend, and yet you kept me in the dark like that? Why didn't you just tell me at the scene that you were going to change him?' there was no answer.

'That's it.' I muttered. I threw one of the silver knives at Carlisle's head whilst Esme and Rosalie gasped in shock. Shows how much they all know me, huh. It glanced off his face and ricocheted off, making Jasper catch it in midair. The other I strapped back to my arm before striding out of the room, not looking back once. But as soon as I got outside, Edward caught up with me.

'Bella, please stop!' he said, touching my arm and turning me to face him. 'I honestly thought it was best you didn't know, he's a young vampire and therefore gets thirsty very easily.' I was shaking my head long before he'd finished.

'No, you were just worried that I'd leave you and go to him, now that he's a vampire as well. Do you think that's the only reason I'm with you, because you're different?' I asked sarcastically.

'No!' he seemed to be finding the right words to say 'Bella, I love you, and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. I honestly didn't know that Caleb had been changed until after I had stayed with you all night, and then gone home. And even then I only knew because I heard it in Carlisle's mind.'

'I'm sorry, but I don't believe you.' I said flatly, turning my back on him for the last time, I had already made up my mind as to what I was going to do.

I was going back home to New York.

There was a sudden breeze behind me, and I knew that Edward had run to catch up with me, but I didn't turn around.

'I love you.' He whispered right by my ear, making me shiver.

I turned around to say it back, but he'd gone. Because no matter that I was leaving, no matter that Caleb had been changed unwillingly, I still loved him, I was just pissed off with his father. Like my mother had said, _Sacrifice is everything, even if it means leaving what you love so that they are safe, even if none of you are happy. _If I stayed, we would just end up hurting each other more, or someone would end up dead. It just wasn't going to work out, was it?

I took one last look at the elegant white house before sighing and shaking my head. There were worse things than leaving, I thought, just before I walked into the forest.

Somehow, walking through the trees made me feel worse. Maybe it was the fact that when I got home to New York, I wouldn't be able to do this anymore, or the fact that so many things had happened in here. Falling in love with Edward was the main thing, the highlight of my short time in Forks. I'd probably never love anyone as much again, as pathetic and teenage like as that sounds. But it was true. Some people believe in soulmates; I believe that I had found mine.

Once I was in New York I could buy back my mom's flat, comb it over, and find anything she had kept hidden. There was no doubt in my mind that she had clues or something stashed away for me, or someone else to find. I could unlock my mother's secrets, and finally find out who I am, and what my life's mission is. Life for me would go on, as would my families, because after all, you just have to cope.

My heart sank at these words. Sure, I could go on, but what was the point? Everything I loved was here in Washington; my dad, my brother, my boyfriend, my family, my job. I had to give it all up to start again, to find myself before I found my life.

But hey, if my mom could do it, so could I!

I would drive to Seattle tonight, stay at _my _place, and then drive home in the morning. It's not as though anyone would be at Charlie's place now, right? Emmett would probably stay at the Cullen place all night, with his fiancée. Shame I'd miss the wedding.

My thoughts were messed up and tangled, all overlapping each other in my mind, causing me to temporarily lose focus on my surroundings.

A dangerous thing to do at the best of times, and something that went against all my basic training and beliefs.

I didn't hear the twig snap to the right of me until the last minute, but by then it was too late. Before I had chance to defend myself, I was hit on the head from behind, and plunged into deep blackness of which I could see no return.

Did I even want to wake up?

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**Cliffy, because I'm feeling a little mean tonight (:**

**So what did we think? Review!**

**Like I said at the beginning, if you don't get some of the plot, just mail me and let me know (:**

**Charlie**


	23. Kidnapped: Preview

**Hey, I'm putting a little clip, if you wanna call it that, in between these two chapters, because I'm going to take my time with the next chapter, due to it being so...awkward to write.**

**I've just been writing like crazy lately, getting two chapters published in two days! But that had to change sometime, and I have an extreme case of writers block for all my stories. Big fail So...yeah, here's a little clip of the next chapter, and I hope you can wait until the next one is published!**

People say that when they die, they see a white light. All the memories from their lives come flooding back, even the ones they thought they had forgotten. After the light, isn't there supposed to be some sort of heaven, where there are no trouble, and everything is perfect, all the things you wanted back on Earth, but you never got? That's how it is in the storybooks, in the kid's tales, in the lies.

My death was somewhat different.

Well, at least I had two guardian angels there at the end, calling my name and trying to bring me back. They would be trying for a long time, the poor things. I loved the angels dearly, but I could feel myself slipping away every second. The blood ran freely from my body, and my breath was leaving me. Death in the fairytales is a lie, real death is painful.

As the angels' voices got more faded out, and my vision was tunnelling, I slipped away into the abyss. I was about to go on my very last mission, wasn't I?


	24. Kidnapped

**Hey guys, thanks for being patient whilst I wrote this, I know it's been a little while (: Truth is, I've had a combination of really bad writers block, about a ton of essays, and having to write a novel of my own!**

**But anyway, the preview I gave you? Yeah that's for next chapter! Sorry, I only realized when I read the chapter plan I made...my bad! But I hope this chapter is alright as a filler between last chapter and the preview...**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and carry on reading my story right until the end, and stick with me until I finish writing the sequel...;)**

**But yeah, you know what to do know – **

**Read**

**Review!**

**Charlie**

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My eyes were incredibly heavy when I tried to open them, as though they had weights attached to them. My head was spinning and throbbing from the blow I had taken. I was just so surprised I hadn't gotten concussion from it, like I had from things that weren't anywhere near as bad so many times in my short life. Like the time I fell off the jungle gym in third grade and cut my head open, now _that _hurt like a bitch. Stupid Lewis Price for pushing me off; all I wanted was to get to the top before him!

Okay, maybe I'm a little bit concussed.

I tilted my head up to try and look around the room that I had been placed in, despite the throbbing pain all over my skull, but it was in vain. The room I was in was completely pitch black, with only a stream of weak light coming from the moon in an extremely high window. All I could see was an outline of a chair, though I had no idea how close it was. I moved my arms to find that I was held securely to another wooden chair with metal chains that dug into my waist every time I moved. Every time I moved even a fraction of an inch, the chains clinked, so I stopped immediately. I might not know what had kidnapped me and brought me here, but I'll bet that it's not going to be good when they find out that I'm awake.

The entire room smelt like...old blood. I could imagine it had been used for such purposes before, and that many people had died here. But, as well as the blood, I could smell...what the _hell? _Was that wet dog?

Oh _shit, _werewolves!

Was this the same place Charlie had been held captive? For his sake, I really hoped it wasn't. All I had to do was hold on, because I had the training to withstand anything they dealt and keep my goddamn mouth shut. Charlie...let's just say I'm glad he didn't have any important information to spill. The main question now was who had taken me? Was it the person Demetri had come to warn us about? Or was it the same people who had shot Caleb and tried to blow up Zeiracorp? Not for the first time, I realized that I really did have too many enemies. But whatever; whoever they are, they are in for some deep shit when I get out of here!

But I had to rely on myself to get out of this mess, as no one would come looking for me; no one even knew I was missing. Alice will have seen me choosing to go to New York, so no one would be surprised when they couldn't find me the next day, or the fact that they couldn't get in touch with me. I was on my own, forever.

No! I couldn't afford to think like that! Jeez, it had been my idea to leave, and it would have to be my ideas that would get me out of here alive.

I began feeling the chains that bound my hands, trying to find a weak spot, or somewhere where they unlocked, or came apart. But there was absolutely nothing! The chains were made of the strongest iron that I had absolutely no chance of breaking, and the links didn't have any weak spots, not even a place where they seemed to be fitted together. I was utterly trapped. They were wound around my hands maybe...3 times? Much too thick and tight to try and wriggle my hand out of. There were also chains across my stomach, but these were nowhere near as tight. If I managed to get my hands undone, I'd be able to slip out easily. There were also chains binding my ankles to the chair, but I had no idea about them, as it was simply too dark in the godforsaken room.

I did my best to see around me by the weak rays of the moon, though I doubted I'd find anything. All I could see was the other chair, which was presumably used by an interrogator of some sort, and a rope by the window, probably there to tease anyone who had thoughts of escaping. Sure, I'd be able to use the rope to get out, but I needed to free myself from the chains first! Usually, I had some sort of lock pick on me, but I had left the house in such a contemplative state this morning that it hadn't occurred to me. Besides, I couldn't predict all of the shit of today happening, even if I was friends with a prophetess.

Yeah, emphasis on the was, I thought sadly.

I finally gave up the attempt, sinking into the chair and sighing. Usually, I would have some plan as to get out, but I honestly didn't have the energy, or even the will to escape. Pathetic, how someone could walk into my life, as Edward had done, and make me completely lose track of everything. The fact that I was never going to see him again, regardless of what happened to me here, just made me lose all will. I had nothing left to live for. All I had done was fall in love, only to get my heart broken, even if it was my fault.

I froze. There was a faint ringing in my ears, as I tried to listen out for anything moving in the shadows. I could've _sworn _that I had heard a sort of sniffing, like there was something else in the room, but it didn't know where I was. After a few long moments of intense listening, there was a scratching of claws on the concrete floor, and a low bass growling. If there really were werewolves in here, they were heading straight for me. All I could do was sit as still as I could, and hope that it would still think I was out.

I shut my eyes tightly and made my breathing even, but my goddamn heart was going too fast, ruining every chance of me fooling it. There was a rush of adrenaline in my body when I felt it by my side, its warm breath on my bare arm. Its fur was close enough to brush my face, and I knew that right about now it was probably scrutinising my face to see whether or not I was awake.

But the sound it made was completely...human.

It made a low noise in its throat that sounded so much like laughter that I thought it had transformed back. I hadn't fooled it one little bit. And then, as soon as it had come, it left me in the dark, the scratches of its nails on the concrete dying away as it went.

Leaving me alone to my thoughts.

If those morons who had kidnapped me thought that I was just going to sit here and wait to be rescued, they could think again. I had never, ever been a damsel in distress, and I had no plans to become one. Not that anyone was going to rescue me, mind. But at least I had left Edward, and it wasn't both of us out there in the woods. Hell, maybe it would've been the two of us in danger right now! As much as I wished I wasn't alone, there was no way I would wish him here with me, for the simple fact that I loved him.

'You comfy enough in that chair, bitch?' a voice said from a door opposite me. It was a guys voice, really scratchy and butch; oh, and he had a really, really strong Louisiana accent. Had I ever mentioned that I _hate _Louisiana accents? 'Or do we need to tighten up those there chains?' I detected three different laughs, yet they all sounded eerily similar, probably all from Louisiana. Three werewolves?

'Oh how hilarious,' I said sarcastically. 'How long did it take you to think of that, ever since I got here?'I asked smugly.

That remark earned me a slap across my cheekbone. It had such force that my head whipped to the side, and it stung as though it had been burned. Of course, they found it highly amusing.

'Speak when spoken to, young lady.' Another said, sounding like he was the big man around here. I highly doubted it.

'Is this how you get your kicks? Slapping about younger, smaller women who are tied up? Where the hell do you get off?' I shouted into the darkness. 'You guys are pathetic, and I swear when I get out of here you are going to wish that you had never been born!'

'And how exactly do you plan on getting out of here, little lady?' the final one asked. Dammit, _another _Louisiana accent? 'In case you hadn't noticed, you're held there good and tight, so there's no chance of escaping. Mind you, I doubt you'll be so stroppy when the boss gets here!' he and the others laughed, whilst I weighed my options.

On the one hand, they weren't too bright, and getting information out of them wouldn't be altogether that hard. Sure, one was smarter than the rest, but even then he was exactly Einstein, was he? If I could somehow let them clue me in as to what was going on, I could trick them into letting me go... However on the other hand, what they didn't have in brains, they made up for in brawn. If I managed to get out of here, or if I said something they didn't like, they could crush me in a manner of seconds. And I wanted to get out of here preferably alive and without being paralyzed.

'Boss?' I asked 'who's your boss?'I decided to go for keeping them talking. Anything to keep them distracted.

'Well lookee here miss-'

'Jackson!' the supposed leader shouted. 'You know it aint good to be talking about the boss in front of this here prisoner!' I really, really wanted to roll my eyes. 'He'll be dang mad, you know he will! So know I'm thinking you should shut your mouth, and get on with the job you were given!'

'Yes, Carter sir.' He said morosely. His heavy boots thudded on the concrete as he walked out of the room, closing a heavy door with a muffled boom. Well, at least that was one less idiot to worry about.

'Fuller, go with him!' the head were ordered. Even better, another idiot out of my way, even if he was the supposed "smart one". Maybe escaping would be easier than I thought... 'Now, lady,' he said, finally switching a light on. He wasn't actually that bad looking to be honest, nothing like I had expected. He had short blonde hair with a fringe that flicked in all sorts of directions; his white t-shirt showed the muscles on his chest and biceps; his jeans were low, and he was wearing hiking boots. Right now, he was scrutinising me, like he didn't know what to think anymore. 'I don't know what trouble you gone and gotten yourself into, but I'm sure it's mighty bad. You had better sit there tight like a good little lady, and you won't get no more beatings from us.' He said in a sympathetic voice. I could definitely use that to my advantage.

'But, sir,' I said in a little girl's voice, tears welling up in my eyes. 'I know I shouted at you, but I'm just so scared! I haven't done anything wrong! I just wanna go back home to my family! I'm a good child, I always do what mama and daddy tell me to, I never get in trouble, and I go to church every Sunday. I haven't done anything to deserve this!'As my arm moved, I felt something cold touch my inner arm. They hadn't taken my knife from me!

'Aww shucks, little lady,' he said awkwardly, my little girl act working on him. 'I wish I could help you, I really could, but the boss says that you've done something mighty bad. We can't just ignore him, you know.' I honestly couldn't believe how fast this was working!

'Well,' I said coyly 'If you can't let me go, can you at least loosen these chains a little? They're really digging into my arms and stomach.' I said weakly, like I was putting on a brave face. I made sure to hide the knives with my arm, so that if he came close all he would be able to see was the strap.

'Sure thing,' he said with a sigh of relief that I wasn't asking him to do anything else. I never took my eyes off him as he came closer, watching everything he did carefully. The last time my attention had slipped, I had ended up in this place, and I had to do anything to get out of here. 'That any better, little lady?' he asked.

I ignored the little lady habit he had, which was already getting on my nerves. 'Yes, thank you.' I said in a sugar coated voice. 'Thanks for being so kind,' I couldn't see how much the chains had been loosened until he had gone.

'That's okay,' he said with a brilliant smile. 'I'd better go and help those boys out there, so you just stay put until I get back.' I was chained up, where the fuck did he think I was going to go? 'The boss should be here soon.' He ran out of the room faster than I imagined, shutting the door firmly behind him. As soon as his heavy footsteps had died away, I began to work quickly.

I tested out the chains, but they were still a little too tight to be able to slip out of. But I'll admit it, I'm really, really skinny, (perhaps a little on the underweight side, but that was something to think about another time) and the chains on my stomach were not as tight as I'd previously thought they were. After a few moments of moving around, the chains of my stomach slipped up high enough for me to slide under. I was sincerely glad that the chains they had used to tie up my legs and feet were separate from the ones that had kept me bound to the chair, otherwise there would've been no way that I was getting out of there.

My legs and hands were still tied, but at least I was finally out of that chair! I sat down on the nasty, grimy floor and unlocked my arm from where it was pinned to my side so that my knife fell to the floor beside me. The knife had a double end, so it was easy for me to pick it up and attempt to pick the lock on the chains. It was my favourite weapon, besides the Glock, as it was both deadly and extremely useful.

Locks unpicked, and I was ready to hightail it out of there as fast as I could. To my luck, a thunderstorm had begun outside, and the rain was falling heavily in the forest. It would be easier to mask my scent, and less likely for those imbecile wolves to hear my footsteps, or track me in any way that they might try.

I stood up quickly, but silently, making my footsteps light as I made my way over to the window and the rope. _Zanshin _was with me as I picked up the rope and felt its thickness, and measured roughly how high the window was. The rope was made of hemp, and it would hold my little weight easily.

But disaster struck as I was about to toss it up to the window.

There was a slight movement in the shadows behind me, which, if I hadn't been using all the sense I had, I would never have picked up. It sounded like a stone scratching on the concrete, like someone had just kicked it...but whatever _it _was, it certainly wasn't human. I was the only human I knew that could be a silent and alert as a...well, a vampire.

My left was positioned a little to the side as I carried on with my task, just in case I needed to pivot around to fend off an attack. The knife was gripped in my palm so hard that I felt like it might go through my skin at any moment. But it didn't matter. Being a spy was always about being prepared. And no matter how many lapses of concentration I had had, I was a spy at heart – it ran in my blood.

I pretended that I hadn't heard anything, but always cautious, listening, ready for anything. But as soon as the rope had been tossed up, and had latched in perfectly onto the window, I heard the faintest of rustles, like a coat blowing in the window, and heavy boots walking with light footsteps out of the shadows behind me. And they were...clapping. Applauding me in sarcasm.

I did what I planned, pivoting on my left foot with my knife at the ready. I braced myself in a defensive crouch, left leg extended in front, ready to lunge in any way necessary, with my knife held slightly to the side with the blade away from my body, but not directly at the enemy. I was seeing red, and ready for any fight that anyone might put up. No one knocked me out, kidnapped me and locked me up in a stone room and got away with it. Not whilst I was still alive and breathing.

'Well, well, I have to say, I'm very impressed with your efforts, even if it was all in vain. And here I thought I was being clever in all the measures it took to secure you, but obviously I underestimated your talents. Yet here you are, trapped like a fly in a spiders web.' A smooth, silky though smug young male voice said from the shadows.

'Come out where I can see you.' I hissed, scanning as well as I could into the darkness. But it was useless. I was a mere a human, and there was no way I could see that well in the dark. 'Or are you scared of little ol' me?' I said with a grin of satisfaction when I heard him snarl in anger.

'You have no idea who you're talking to...' he warned.

'Exactly!' I laughed, enjoying teasing him very much. 'Now, come out and show me who you really are, seeing as though you went to the trouble of, quote "securing me".'

'As you wish...'

And out of the shadows, as I had half-expected, strode Aiden Filexsi, his ruby eyes gleaming in the moonlight that filtered in from the window. He looked good, with a black cloak, deep black jeans, and black boots, as I had expected.

'And now, Aiden, you're going to tell me everything, starting with what the hell you are and what your little game with me and the Cullen's has been about.' I spat. Yes, I was well aware of the fact that Edward knew he was a vampire, but how the hell had I managed to break his nose if he was?

'Oh, I think you know what I am, dearest Bella.' He crooned, his midnight hair gleaming as he stepped closer to me. I glared and bared my teeth as he came closer, warning him to stay away, which he heeded. 'The question is, what are you?'

I was thrown off-balance by his words, wondering what the hell he was talking about. But it all came to me, he must wonder who I knew how to fight, and how I was able to know that he was there in the shadows, even when he was concealing himself as well as he could.

'A spy, and a human, as you well know. But this human is going to fight for her life, so I suggest you stay the hell away before I hurt you.'

He laughed, high and cold, his head thrown back. I noticed that he was actually...really handsome, in that sadistic, bad boy way. It was nothing compared to Edward of course, but still...

Wait, what the _hell?_

'Stop messing with my head!' I screamed, ready to lunge at him.

'Oh, Bella, you do make me laugh!' he began, but on seeing my face, changed what he was about to say with an exasperated sigh. 'Bella, you aren't the person you thought you were, sweetheart, and I'm here to help you with that.' He grinned, evil and malice both in his words and his smile. I didn't trust this guy as far as I could throw him,

'Stop talking in riddles, Filexsi, and tell me what the hell you're talking about before I come over there and knock your fucking head off.'

'Bella, you have shapeshifter blood, and you're bound to love me forever.'

Well, that was unexpected, was all I could think before I was knocked out by some sort of energy he unleashed, much to my embarrassment.

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**Was that what you expected, or not? I'll bet you expected it to be him, but the thing about Bella? Let me know!**

**Yeah, this Bella is a little based on Rashel Jordan from the Night World, and Aiden is maybe a little like Ash (I honestly **_**just **_**found that out), but these are both my characters! (I mean come on, Stephanie Meyer's Bella was just a little bit pathetic...)**

**Anyway, sorry if I offended anyone with my last comment :L but please, review the chapter now, it'll make me write the next one faster, knowing that people are waiting for it!**

**Charlie**


	25. Extras

**Hey! Sorry if you thought this was a chapter, but there are some things I need to clear up. I was reading through my story today, and in some places, even to me it didn't add up! So I've written here what's really going on in the story, just in case any of you guys were confused about the major details. XD**

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**Bella Swan – 16 (almost 17) came from New York City. Her mom died over a year ago, and shortly after her mom's death, she became a spy with Caleb Jones. A few weeks later they moved away to Seattle to get away from Caleb's parents, but Bella had to keep coming back to New York for Brian's sake. She worked for both the Zeiracorp in New York and the Zeiracorp in Seattle.**

**Emmett Swan – 19 has lived in Forks all his life. He's been a vampire for only 9 months, but his thirst has been put under control well by the combination of the love for his sister and Carlisle's teachings. He is due to get married in a few months.**

**Caleb is 22 and has been a vampire for a few weeks.**

**Bella will be 17 in July (yeah I changed that)**

**Jacob is the same age as Bella and a werewolf**

**The month now is April.**

**Charlie **_**is **_**Bella's real dad, he just changed his last name to Swan instead of Renee changing her last name when they got married.**

**I **_**think **_**that clears everything...let me know if there's anything else that I've missed, okay? I'd hate for y'all to be reading my story and thinking 'what the hell?' :L **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Charlie**


	26. Reality

**I have no idea how long it is since I last updated (not counting this morning's extra chapter or whatever) so if it's been a while, my apologies.**

**So we're almost at the end of My Vampire Romance! Gah! Time flies, doesn't it? We're only 2 chapters away from the end, and where the sequel starts. I haven't even thought of a title for the next story, and the plot keeps running around in my head, refusing to keep still long enough for me to write it down! Frustrating, much?**

**But anyway, thanks to those who've stuck with this story from the beginning, when it was crap and my grammar totally sucked! Seriously, I went back and read it, and I really did cringe! So thanks for reading through all the crappy parts when I had writers block and basically wrote whatever I felt like!**

**So for those who have read my story and liked it, here's my next chapter.**

**You guys are amazing, keep it up with the reviews *hint hint***

**Charlie**

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Knocked out again? This time, someone was going to die.

I woke up fully straight away; angrier than I had been even when I was yelling and throwing knives at Carlisle; a time that seemed like centuries ago. And it was all because of Aiden. That smug little bastard was going to pay for what he had done to me, my father, and I may as well get the revenge for the Cullen's whilst I'm at it, and I meant it. I'd break more than his nose this time, only death could stop me.

My eyes opened more easily than they had last time, and, luckily there was no spinning or head trauma to speak of. It was literally as though I had just fallen asleep and woken up fully refreshed.

'Nice nap?' _he_ asked in an amused voice. I threw my body in the direction of his voice, intending to rip his throat out, but my limbs wouldn't obey me. I usually had full control over my body, training it up so that it obeyed every command I gave it. But now... it honestly felt like I was paralyzed. I couldn't feel anything below my neck, and all I could move was my head and eyes.

'What the hell have you done to me?' I screamed, trying to thrash a lifeless body off the bed where I had been placed.

I was in a completely different room to the one I had been in last time. This one was like an Indian princess's bedroom, complete with the shimmering silk drapes hanging around the four-poster bed. There was a large window to the right of me, which was hanging wide open and leading to a balcony, but there was no way I could get to it. It was just there, teasing me, showing me the easiest way of escape, but I couldn't reach it – not that I could see what lay beyond the window. There were no ropes or anything on my body, but there didn't need to be. Something was holding me rooted to the bed...unless I was seriously injured, something I daren't think about.

'Bella, darling, you've done this to yourself!' he said condescendingly, moving from where he was leant against a wood dresser over to me. He pushed aside the drapes with a flick of the hand and sat on the bed beside me, smiling down at me in that eerily creepy way that's always on cheesy horror movies.

Okay, ew.

'You better stop talking in riddles, Filexsi.' I...growled. There was no other way to explain it.

Oh _fuck, _all that shapeshifter shit!

How could I have forgotten all the stuff he was waffling on about before I was knocked out and bound like some dumb animal? Wasn't he talking about me having shapeshifter blood...and him trying to tell me that I was bound to love him or something like that?

Okay, double ew.

'I meant everything I said in the dungeon, Bella. You are a shapeshifter, and you will love me forever.' He smiled smugly, his scarlet eyes flashing. I had made my mind up – the guy was delusional.

'Okay, a) I'm no shapeshifter you retarded prick, and b) I'm _already _in love with someone, as he has pointed out to you, so I can't love you forever. Is all this clear to you? Or do I have to break your nose again, hmm?'

Anger flashed across his face for a moment, only to disappear as though it was never there. This fucktard was playing a game – and there was no way in hell that I was going to lose it. 'If that's what you believe.' He shrugged, standing up from the bed and strolling to the open window.

I stared after him, shaking my head at his complete and utter idiocy. 'Look, can you at least tell me what the hell has been going on for the past 6 months or so before you kill me? Because I don't understand a thing!'

'You want to know everything?' he mocked, still not turning around. 'Are you sure that you even want to know? I mean, you've already told me that you are madly in love with someone; do you really want your opinion of them to go down? And what about all that you believe to be true about the world? Do you want that to be destroyed as well? Not that it matters, because as you said, I'm going to kill you.'

There was only one answer I could give that wouldn't make me sound either desperate, or give it away that I didn't give a shit about his words. All I needed was for him to keep talking so that I could escape, no matter what he had said about killing me. I had already felt the invisible bonds around me loosening when he got distracted. If he got really into something...well, I would much rather die escaping than die a prisoner.

'Tell me everything that you know, everything that has been going on, and what the hell you were talking about when you said I was a shapeshifter.' No need to mention the love part. 'Tell me everything, and do it fast, because I tend to get really, really wound up when I'm in your presence, Filexsi.'

He turned around slowly, wearing a prizewinning smirk on his triumphant face. He was like a spider, and I was his prisoner. The smug little bastard had me and he knew it. He'd do anything and everything to keep me here, to get me angry. That was just how deluded psychopaths like him worked. I'd seen it all before.

'Do you know what the one thing we have in common is?' he began, pacing the bed in front of me slowly. I was right, though. The invisible bonds surrounding me already felt a little looser. 'We both lost our mothers due to murder.'

I froze. 'How the hell did you know-?'

'That your mother had been murdered? Oh, it was quite simple really; you of all people should know that torture makes anyone reveal even their deepest, darkest secrets. It was simply too easy for my wolves to grab Brian Taylor so that I could coerce the information I wanted out of him.'

'Why?' I asked, throwing myself into the conversation. Escape had disappeared from my mind completely; I needed to know what the hell had been going on in my screwed up life for the past year. 'Why would you go to such lengths to get information about me?'

'You were the girl I wanted but couldn't get.' He shrugged, totally unrepentant. 'And besides, I needed to get back at the Cullen's someway, and taking you from under their noses seemed like the best plan. I mean, you're a sort of pet to them, aren't you?' that was it? We had all suffered and suspected and argued for that? How pathetic! I _knew _there was a reason I didn't like that guy!

'Shut your face, Filexsi.' I said grimly. 'Before I shut it for you. If getting back at the Cullen's was what you wanted all this time, why didn't you send those dogs after them? Or do something to them instead of kidnapping their "pet" as you put it. If you ask me, your plan sucks.' I bluffed. His ideas were totally...crazy. They didn't make sense at all! I still had no idea _why _he wanted his so-called revenge, or _why _he had said all those things about me. 'Tell me what you've been doing since I got here, and I won't interrupt. Trust me; I probably want to know more than anyone.'

A strange expression that I didn't have time to identify crossed his face. As the bonds around me loosened yet a little more, he threw himself down on the floor opposite me, his back against the door. If it was any human, I would've said they were severely depressed. He ran a hand across his face, exhaling so loud that he didn't notice when I scooted a little higher up on the pillow, allowing me to see the room better. In a few minutes I would be free to hightail it out of that window.

'Alright, you want to know everything?' he snarled. Jeez, this guy had more mood swings than a girl with PMS. 'You want to know that my family died so horribly, so violently, and so painfully that it scarred me for life? You want to know that the reason they died was because Carlisle fucking _Cullen _and the rest of his goddamn family decided they would go and blab to the Volturi!' he roared, seizing a chair and throwing it across the room. His eyes were on fire, and his breathing was deep. 'Why, why would they do that?' he practically begged me. 'All we did was tease them, and nothing more, I swear! And sure, I got into a fight with one of the boys, but that doesn't mean my parents should be killed like they were!'

For a moment, I felt so bad for him, no matter what he'd done to all the girls at my school, and even me, because I could understand what he was going through. His parents had been killed, like my mother, simply because someone didn't like them. And as much as I wanted to believe that the Cullen's couldn't do something like that, I knew how awful people could be underneath.

'What did they say your parents had done?' I asked calmly. As I spoke, I felt the bonds loosen one last time, and I was free. I knew without even trying that I would be able to move now – but I needed answers. If I didn't ask the man responsible, then there was no way that I could possibly find out any other way. I needed to know the truth – about everything.

'Aro – the leader of the Volturi – told me, as they were burning, that they had harmed the Cullen's, and that they couldn't get away with it. That their city needed peace, and they just couldn't get that whilst we were around.' He said glumly, turning into a little boy again.

'Don't you see, Aiden?' I implored. 'The Cullen's didn't turn your parents in because they hated them! These Volturi must have killed them to simply keep the peace! It was all the Volturi's fault!'

'Shut up!' he scowled, turning away from me. 'You said you wouldn't interrupt.' He sulked. Damn, he was becoming more and more like a child as we spoke.

'Go on, then. Tell me what you've done since I got here.'

'I caused the car accident between your stepmother and yourself.' He grinned. 'I spiked her drink and got her completely drunk, so that when the police got her body, they would believe that was the cause. I pushed her car whilst she was driving – vampires are that strong – into you. And that was supposed to be it! You were supposed to die, thus making my revenge on the Cullen's complete! But then fucking _Edward_' my heart skipped a beat. 'Saved your life! I mean he was right there, pulling you from the wreckage and giving you CPR! Do you know how frustrating that is?' he scoffed, starting to pace again.

'I can imagine.' I said quietly, not concentrating properly. Whilst still keeping my eyes forward, I searched for...aha! My knife was tucked into my jeans, where I had stowed it before being knocked out. It wouldn't kill him, but it would hopefully distract him...wait. 'Aiden,' he turned to me. 'Did you kill Caleb, the boy that was with me? Did you set it up?'

'Boy, what boy?' he asked in confusion.

'There was a boy, he was shot down. He was right next to me! Did you set us up?'

'No,' he said in annoyance. 'Why would I want to take out some human boy that had nothing to do with what I wanted?'

'I-nevermind.' Great, yet another mystery for me to solve if I get out of here alive; what joy.

'I believe I've answered all your questions.' He growled. 'Now, I'll finish what I started, and no Cullen will be here to stop me!'

'Villain in a melodrama much?' I cackled, jumping off the bed and pulling out my knife, as well as striking a match that lay on the side (what? I'm ready for everything!). 'Give it your best shot, Filexsi!'

He growled and lunged, but it was really, really clumsy. He had feinted to the left, but I knew by instinct he was going to go from the right. I dived out of the way, rolling on the floor and sitting up in a crouch, left leg forward, ready to lunge in any way necessary, Zanshin helping me focus on the task at hand instead of brooding over all that I had learnt. The match caught one of the legs on the broken chair, which I picked up and held in my hand, ready to spear the motherfucker with if he tried anything else.

'You know,' he said as he bent backwards to avoid the flames. 'I could use someone of your talents, of your bloodline. Did you know that your grandmother _and _you mother were both fully-fledged shapeshifters, able to transform into whatever they chose at their first transformation?' he was trying to distract me, but I wouldn't let it work. I'd find if he was lying later.

'Fuck you, Filexsi!'

'Oh, and about you being bound to love me forever...'

'It was a lie.' I finished for him, kicking him in the face with all the force I had in my body. His head snapped back with enough force that would've broken a human's neck. But of course, he wasn't human. And apparently, neither was I.

'You should love me.' he whispered, suddenly behind me, his breath on my throat and his hands gripping the back of my neck and tangled in my hair. 'So beautiful.' He said in a voice that made my skin crawl.

'I will never love you!' I screamed, throwing myself onto the floor and flipping onto the bed.

'Carter, Manson, Jackson!' he called as the door behind me burst open, sending wood and metal flying all over the room. I'd instinctively dived to the floor to avoid it, and I was now laid beside the bed, my knife gripped in one hand, and the fire starting to spread. I was an easy target. 'Take her out.' Aiden ordered before walking to the door to escape the rapidly spreading flames. 'And Miss Swan.' He added at the last minute whilst the wolves grappled with me. 'I'll be sure to let your darling Cullen's know where they can find your remains.' He laughed, exiting in a very storybook villain type way, his cloak billowing behind him and everything.

'Looks like we're going to taste some human flesh.' Carter said lustily, his eyes and hands transforming before my eyes, and I felt the fear that Charlie, my father, had been talking about.

I won't go into detail about the immense pain that was inflicted on me in the next 10 minutes. No one, human or otherwise, deserves to go through what I went through. It was hell, brought to living world and put into my body. So much pain... I screamed, thrashed, punched, kicked, bit and struggled so much, and at one point, I thought I was going to escape. But there was just no use. They weren't in their wolf forms, but they didn't need to be, they were strong enough without it, and may have the genes, but I was simply too weak to hold them all off.

I wanted to die; there was no maybe about it. But when you're in that much pain, there comes a point where you don't feel anything, even when nothing had stopped. My body shut itself down, knowing that I had given up, and that there was nothing I could do to set myself free, not anymore. But I'd fought, I could give myself that. I had fought so goddamn hard, as the wolf holding in his insides could say, but it just wasn't enough. I had always thought of myself as so strong, yet here I was, lying here on the floor and waiting for death, doing nothing to stop the beasts that were so intent on finishing me off piece by piece.

Ironic, I'm close to death, and I don't even swear. All I could do was send out messages to those I loved, even if they couldn't hear them.

_Edward, I love you so much, and I'm sorry I caused you so much pain when I didn't protect myself. But don't worry, it's almost over now, I promise. I love you._

_Mom, I'm sorry that I let you and the family down, I hope you can forgive me when we meet again – if we meet again. You were a good person – I wasn't. I love you._

_Emmett, I'm sorry for everything I put you through, you didn't deserve that. You honestly are the best big brother in the world. I love you._

_Caleb, thank you for everything you've done for me. I know you'll go far in your new life. I love you._

_Charlie, you had your faults, but underneath it all you were the best dad anyone could ever ask for. I love you._

_Alice, you were like a sister to me, in so many different ways. I wish we could've spent more time as sister's, instead of always looking over our shoulders. That's one thing I regret. I love you._

_Carlisle, thank you for being like a father to me through it all. I'm sorry about everything I said to you – I know you only changed Caleb because you thought it was for the best. I love you._

_Esme, thank you for being like the mother I lost, even when I never asked for it. You were perfect, if only I were a little more grateful. I love you._

_Jasper, thank you for being there for me, and supporting my emotions. I love you._

_Rose, thank you for being like a big sister to me; I know you'll make my brother very happy. I love you._

_Jake, and my boys, thank you for accepting me, even when it went against all your beliefs. You were my best friends, and you protected me, I see that now. I love you._

_Jess, Mike, Angela and all the rest of you, thank you for being my friends, and making me feel like a normal teenage girl for once. High school wasn't the same without you. I love you._

'GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!' two angels called at the same time through the blackness of my mind. Dimly, I felt the three men being pulled from me, and the red hot feeling of not being scratched and bitten anymore. There was just...nothing. Instead, the place where the wolves had been was replaced by people I...recognized. Though for the life of me I couldn't have said who they were.

The life of me. How ironic.

'Babe, Bella, come on, speak to us!'

'Bella, BELLA! Come on, don't do this! You're a fighter, come back to me!'

'Edward?' I managed to choke out, without even knowing how I did it. 'Edward, and...Caleb?'There was a collective sigh of relief from the both of them. 'How did you find me?' I gasped, wincing when the numbness started to fade, bringing back all the pain that my body had worked so hard to block out.

'Don't worry about that now, we need to get you out of here.' Edward said soothingly to me, stroking my damp hair from my face. 'It'll be okay.' He whispered. 'Caleb, can you put out this fire? And where are the others?'

'I'm working on it! And they took the mutts out to be drowned.' He snarled. 'And will you stop asking me stupid questions? Just pick her up and get her out of here! She won't last long, and neither will I!'

'Baby, this is going to hurt.' He warned me. His cool hands slipped underneath my back, intending to pick me up, but were hastily removed when I cried out in pain. 'Caleb I can't move her, she's too badly injured!'

Caleb said something back, but I couldn't hear what it was. My hearing and sight was all tunnelled, and I could barely feel the floorboards beneath me. The room must've been hot, but I didn't feel that either. All I could sense was my two boys, both holding my hands as Caleb came and sat beside me.

'I love you, Edward, and I'm so sorry that I broke my promise.' I whispered. His tears fell on my arm, and I did my best to wipe them from his face. People dying in movies obviously had more strength than I did.

'Don't say that, baby, you aren't dying!' he said his voice breaking as he cradled me as well as he could to him.

'Caleb, I'm sorry that I let you down. I couldn't fight them off – I guess I'm just weak.'

'You aren't weak!' he cried, helping Edward to support me. 'You're so strong!'

The blackness was doing its best to take over me, but I still had something to say, something important that I couldn't leave this world without saying. 'I forgive you both, as well as being sorry for everything I've done.' I whispered, slumping back into my boy's arms and allowing the darkness to take over me.

'Bella, no!' I heard them cry, but it was just too late for me.

'Bella, please don't give up, for me, please!' Edward moaned. Even in death, I heard the pain in his voice, and every fibre of my being longed to go back to him. But it just wasn't meant to be.

I'm sorry Edward. I didn't know if it was a thought or a spoken sentence.

And that's how I died, in the arms of the angels.

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**Well...what did we think? Good or bad?**

**This chapter is kinda crap, and didn't go the way I'd originally planned it, but how was it anyway? Let me know please, because it honestly does help me to improve my writing!**

**Plot twist, or did you all see that coming?**

**Review!**

**Charlie**


	27. Healing and Forgiveness

**Hello people (:**

**Jeez, the amount of people who thought that the last chapter was the end! It was actually quite funny to read some of the reviews/slash threats *jokes* that I got on the last chapter. You really didn't want Bella to die! But no, there's still one more chapter left after this one, which will be the epilogue *cries hysterically and smashes the keyboard* but there will be a sequel! **

**Anyway, I'll leave you to read this, hope you like it.**

**Charlie**

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If death was optional, I really, _really_ wouldn't recommend it to any Goth that might be interested. I was pretty disappointed with the aftermath of my death, if I were completely honest. Doesn't everyone who almost dies tell everyone that they saw a pure, blinding, white light, and someone with wings welcoming them to another place before they're violently sucked back to Earth and into their own bodies, forced to carry on with their mediocre lives as though they hadn't witnessed something amazing? Isn't death supposed to be beautiful, calm and relaxing; the weight of a long life (well, not in my case) being lifted of your shoulders forever? Isn't death supposed to be...easy and stress-free; a way out?

Well hell, I certainly missed out!

People just wouldn't. Stop. Talking!

Seriously, it is too much to ask for a girl to die in relative peace and quiet? People were talking to me. I could hear them shouting my name through the endless fog that my mind had become, slipping into my thoughts like a bad song on a radio. I heard lots of sobs surrounding me, like people crying, and I vaguely registered desperate hands on my arms, on my legs, on my face and in my hair. But it was like watching a movie. You know it's happening, but you can't really feel it, as strange as that sounds; you register what's going on, but it isn't really happening to you. Whatever peace I wanted, I couldn't clamp down on the longing that dwelled in me to talk back to one of the shouting voices, to grab one of those desperate hands and yell that I wasn't dead yet, and could they either please keep it down or make a little more sense.

But as much as I wanted to give up and let go, to be transported to that beautiful place where all the dead go, I knew there was no way that I could; it just wasn't in my nature, in my blood, in the very essence of who I was. A) I was born to be a fighter, and I was going to come back with as much of a struggle as I could summon up whether I wanted to or not, and b) there were people who needed me to stay alive; Edward, my soulmate, the reason that I stayed in that hick-town that I had come to love; Alice, my little sister, overly chirpy but I loved her anyway; Emmett, my adoring big brother who I hadn't even said goodbye to; Carlisle and Esme, who had loved me as their own even though I was a spoilt little brat at times; Jasper and Rose, who had been like older siblings in a way; Charlie and Caleb, two of the most important guys in my life. Wait:

WHAT THE HELL WAS I STILL DOING UNCONSCIOUS?????

I stopped giving in and tried my hardest to bring myself back to the surface, much, much harder than I had fought when I was in that room with the wolves. I was pulling myself out of my own personal abyss. There was no way I could be dead if I had heard this much, right? I had to still have a chance! Either way, I was going to bring myself back, no matter what had happened to me. Not even death could stop me when I wanted something.

As I lay there, not even knowing where _there _was, I found myself having an epiphany...or whatever shit they come up with on TV. Maybe I hadn't fought as hard as I could in the room with the wolves because I believed myself to be alone. I had thought that no one was coming for me, and that from the second I had walked out of the Cullen place, I was on my own for life; but what if I was wrong? What if I had never been alone and it had just been in my head? To put it simply, maybe the only time I fought is when I had things to lose. I barely fought against the wolves because I believed myself to be alone, and there was no reason for me to stay alive...and I was fighting now because there _were _people I had to fight for, people who loved me and needed me to wake up and come back to life!

Well hell, that's what they mean by epiphany!

For over a year, since my mom died, I had taught myself that it was okay to be alone, and that was my destiny. But I had clearly been wrong. The only way I could save myself is by having people around me that I loved, and who would care whether or not I died! To summarize my epiphany: the only way to save myself is to love...

'Carlisle?' Edward's voice, husky with emotion broke through my mental babbling. 'Carlisle! I think...I think she's waking up!' I heard Edward's voice as clear as day from beyond the veil of my mind. I was coming back to him, and no-one could stop me. Take that, grim reaper!

'Edward...son, she's dead. Please, try and accept that.' Carlisle's voice was strained and tired; he sounded almost...human. I could imagine that he had been trying to save my life for a long time. I instantly felt even worse for even thinking about giving up. What was I thinking, just letting my life go as though it were nothing? I had plenty of years left yet! Besides, if the Cullen's hadn't taken out that fucktard, Aiden that was one job I still had left to do, and damn I would enjoy doing it.

'No, look! Her hand just moved the slightest bit! And I can hear a faint heartbeat! Can't you hear that?' he asked impatiently. I wondered if he could see the grin that was in my mind. EdwardEdwardEdward!

I felt cool, analytical hands on my neck and another pair of hands on my wrists, probing gently for any signs of life. Fingers jabbed into the veins in my wrist, seeing if they could detect a heartbeat. Carlisle, I assumed, paused, his hand still clamping my wrist, though gently.

'Yes. Yes, you're right, there's still a heartbeat.' He laughed weakly, calling for Alice. 'You were right when you said she was a fighter, Edward. I don't think I've known anyone as desperate to stay alive as Bella is.' I could hear the smile in his voice as I woke up a little more. Woken up, came back from the dead, I didn't know how to phrase it, and I'll be damned if I cared!

'Come on, baby.' Edward's voice whispered to me, surrounding me in light. 'Wake up, fight for us, please, please. I love you so much, more than you will ever know, and I'm sorry that I didn't get to you in time. But I promise, if you come back to me, then I will make it up to you in every way I can, do you understand? Oh God, I wish I knew if you could hear me...'

'Yes, Carlisle?' Alice's usually chirpy voice was laden with sadness and depression, making it hard for me to even distinguish if it _was _her. It wasn't my Alice, this Alice was someone who had lost someone close to her...like a sister. The guilt flared up in me again, and that little voice inside my head that had thought up that damn epiphany said 'I told you so'.

'Look into Bella's future. What do you see?' he asked excitedly.

'Bella's future, what are you talking about? Carlisle, we've already established that she's-' there was a pause where no one spoke, and the room was as still as though no one was in it. I figuratively held my breath, not even knowing if I was breathing or not. 'Ohmygod!' she squealed. 'I can see Bella's future again! She's going to wake up! Emmett! Caleb! Esme! Charlie! Jasper! Rose!' she called, running from the room.

'She never said _when _Bella would wake up.' Edward said anxiously. 'How long do you think-? Bella? Can you hear me?' my eyelids fluttered, hardly opening, but enough to let me see the wooden panels on the ceiling, and enough to know that I was in Edward's room, with Edward himself lying beside me, looking down at me in tired anxiety.

You better believe I was back!

'Bella!' he cried, taking me into his strong, protective arms with his face buried into my neck. 'How did you do it? I thought you were dead!' he whispered.

'You should know by now how stubborn I am.' I said weakly, finding it difficult to speak coherent words. At the sound of my voice, several pairs of footsteps pounded up the two flights of stairs, and the bedroom door was flung wide open.

I opened my eyes fully to see the rest of my family stood at the doorway, watching me with wide eyes as though they couldn't believe I was really there, though I suppose I couldn't blame them. The vampires obviously couldn't cry, but they looked as though that's what they'd be doing if they could. Charlie was stood at the front with Emmett, the only one with tears running down his worn face. I felt around ten times worse just looking at him. He should be in the hospital recovering, not sat in the Cullen house crying over me because I had just given up on my life. The decision I had made to hold on seemed more and more like a wise choice every second.

'Honey,' Esme broke the long silence by walking gracefully into the room and kissing me on the forehead. Her lips trembled when they came into contact with my skin, and her eyes seemed so lost. 'Oh you have no idea how amazing it is to see that you're alright.' She said softly, brushing the bangs out of my face. 'Now,' she said, her voice wobbling as she addressed the rest of the family, (I could say family, right?) as they all filed silently into the room. 'All of you have a few moments to say something to her, seeing as though we thought...well, because she's alright. But no more! She needs a lot of rest, and no exceptions!' she ordered, wagging her finger at Emmett, who never stopped looking at me for even a second. Esme stood from the bed and walked over to where Carlisle had been stood not a few moments ago.

'Dearest Bella.' Carlisle said, replacing Esme. 'I hurt you before you ran away, and for that no apology can make up. What happened to you was completely my fault-'

'No,' I said in barely a whisper. 'It was my own fault. I decided to storm off rather than stay and listen to an explanation. But I'd rather not hear anyone blame themselves tonight. I haven't got the energy to argue with anyone.'

'Well then, Bella, I will take every measure to make sure that you're fit and healthy in a short time. You have plenty of scars to add to your collection,' that made me smile 'and you'll be in a bit of pain for a while, but I can get something that will help you with that. You have a few burns from the fire, but nothing serious-'

'I got bitten by a werewolf, doesn't that mean...?'

'No, but like you said, you don't have time for arguing tonight.' He smiled, kissing my forehead and standing from the bed. 'Oh and Bella,' he turned at the last minute, taking his wife in his arms. 'You and I need to have a talk about what Aiden told me about you. But for now, heal quickly.' And with that, he and Esme were gone.

Jasper and Alice came and sat beside me by the bed hand in hand. Jasper, bless him, looked awful from all the emotions he was getting from everyone, whereas I don't think Alice knew what to think. 'You scared us!' she said in barely a whisper. 'I was just sat in the living room, trying to calm everyone down, and you just went black. Your future completely disappeared! You don't know how _scary _that was! And those werewolves, I'm so sorry! We would've found you earlier but I couldn't _see_ them!'

'Alice, stop, you're babbling.'

'Sorry,' she sighed. 'For everything that I did, and that includes everything with Caleb. Am I forgiven?'

'Always; you're like a sister to me...in a way. But don't hug me; it'll hurt like a bitch.' I warned as she leant forward.

'Oh, sorry.' She laughed.

'Bella, I'm glad you're going to be alright.' Jasper said in that calm, laid-back voice that a million years ago I found annoying. 'You're one of us now, and losing one of our own...' he looked away. 'But just so you know,' he said brightly. 'We got rid of those mangy mutts.'

'I hope it was slow...'

'Just the way you like it.' he grinned. In sync, they both bent and kissed me on either cheek before standing up and leaving as Carlisle and Esme had done. There was literally a line of people waiting to speak to me, but it was a battle to keep my eyes open long enough to see them all. My body felt sluggish and stupid, and it was all I could do to stop myself from turning around and falling asleep on Edward. His arms were around me, and he gave my hand a squeeze every now and again, but he hadn't spoken once since everyone had come into the room.

Reluctantly, my dad walked forward to take his place beside me, placing his trembling hand on my cheek as he blinked back tears. 'You gave me the scare of my life, kid.' He said huskily.

'I'm sorry, dad, for everything.' I didn't know what else I could say to him.

'I wanted to kill those wolves myself for harming you, but then Carlisle came down and told us...' he bent his head, and the tears fell down his cheek. He hastily tried to wipe them away, but I caught his hand.

'Don't cry, please. I'm okay, and those mutts aren't going to change that anytime soon. I'm just sorry you had to go through that.' I said guiltily.

He bent his head towards mine and whispered. 'I love you, Bells.' Before standing and removing the last of the tears from his face.

'I love you too, dad.' I whispered back before he left the room, turning at the end of the doorway to smile weakly at me. He looked 10 years older than the last time I had seen him. Could that really only have been a few hours ago?

I thought Emmett might come with Rosalie, but instead she took Caleb's reluctant hand and lead him over to me whilst my brother stood immobile in the corner, his face impassive. Caleb's eyes were on the floor, yet hers were on my face the entire time. 'Thank God you're alright, Bella.' She said, giving me a gentle hug, careful not to put too much pressure on me. 'And don't worry, that bastard Aiden got what was coming to him. Emmett and I made sure of _that' _she grinned evilly.

'Thanks,' I laughed shortly. I had wanted to take care of Aiden myself, but I guess it _was _a vain hope to think that he might still be alive after my family got a hold of him. 'Cal?' he looked up a fraction, not meeting my gaze. 'Honey, speak to me.' I said gently, taking his hand in mine.'

'If I had just stayed away.' He said blackly, glaring at the bedspread. 'If I had left you alone, none of this would've happened. I promised you you'd be safe with me, and look what happened!'

'Shut up, Caleb, it isn't your fault.' I snapped, sick of people blaming themselves already. 'Besides, we're even now.'

'Even?'

'I thought I'd killed you, and now you thought you'd killed me. We're even. Deal with it.' he looked up at me with a genuine smile on his face that I hadn't seen for a while now. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed that.

'I love you, Bells.' He whispered, leaning forward and hugging my gently. 'You can always count on me.'

'I love you too, Cal. Always remember that.' I said huskily as the tears finally made their way down my face.' Rose tugged Caleb by the hand that was resting on my back and lead him from the room. But his eyes never left mine once, not until Emmett shut the door behind them.

'Em?' he didn't answer. He just walked over to the bed and stood before me, his hands hanging limply by his side and his eyes fixed on me. He looked...broken.

'Don't you ever do that again.' He whispered. 'Don't you ever leave me like that again or so help me I will kill you myself!'

'I will never hurt you like that again.' He strode over and hugged me tightly, but I didn't care. The pain flared in me, and I felt Edward – even though he wasn't touching me anymore – tense up behind me, but I never made a sound of protest. I had hurt everyone worse than they had ever felt, I imagined, and I had to pay for it some way. Besides, I'd known a worse pain...

'I love you, baby sis.'

'I love you too, big brother.'

He pulled away, wiping at non-existent tears before addressing Edward. 'Don't let her get away again, or your ass is mine, you hear me? If she gets hurt again so help me, Cullen-'

'Em.' I interrupted, panicking at how silent Edward was. 'Nothing like this will happen again, I promise.'

It took a moment for my words to have an effect on him. He was too busy glaring at Edward. I just hoped that he wouldn't dislike Edward for much longer. Emmett turned to me and gave me a weak smile and a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room quickly and silently, leaving me with Edward.

I turned slowly, ignoring the pain. He held out his hand and helped me, letting my head fall against his shoulder and his arm wrap around my waist. All I wanted from Edward was what I had missed.

'We were too late.' He whispered. 'You...died, we were sure of it!'

'I was never really gone, I was just giving up.' I sighed. 'But I realized that I couldn't give up; there were people who needed me to stay alive.'

'Your injuries were...horrific.' he shuddered, reliving it. 'I don't understand how you could handle such pain.' He pulled back to look me in the face. 'How on Earth are you still _here?_ Nobody could handle three werewolves attacking them with such force, even if they hadn't transformed!'

'I thought of you?' he scoffed. 'Well, there comes a point where the body just...handles the pain, or at least mine did. There just came a point where I didn't care about the pain anymore – I was just focused on dying.' I felt ashamed of my weakness once again, still finding it hard to believe that I had given up. But the body _is _designed to forget pain... 'But what about you? How did you find out that I had been kidnapped?' it didn't make sense. Alice had already said she couldn't see my future, that there was nothing there. I could've just been making a decision for all she knew.

'Jacob Black.' He said simply. 'He saw the wolves with you, and followed them to where Aiden was keeping you in the first place – the warehouse. He came back and told us, but by the time we got there you had been moved again. There was another wolf there, someone you didn't see.' Another wolf? Where had he gotten them from? 'And we forced him to spill. He wasn't very bright, and we found out everything within a couple of moments. But when we got to where he was keeping you...Bella there was so much blood!' he moaned, resting his cheek on my head. 'And the fire...I thought you were dead already. But the wolves were still going at you.' He snarled. 'Don't worry though, we took care of them.' He said blackly.

'And Rose took care of Aiden?'

'Yes, he's dead.'

'Good.' In that one word, I sounded darker than I ever had done. All my hate, fury and disgust at him was locked inside of me, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. The only thing I was regretful about was that I wasn't the one to finish the fucker off.

'You came so close to death, Bella.' He said softly, stroking my hair the way he used to before things got all awkward between us. It was over now, and we were free to be a normal teenage couple...

Alright, maybe not normal, but you get my drift.

'I know.' There was one thing I wanted from Edward, and that was a promise. I hadn't really thought of it before, but knowing that I could come so close to death just put everything into perspective for me. There was one thing I needed – a promise. 'And the next time something like this happens-'

'The next time?!' he yelled, pulling away and grabbing me by the shoulders. 'You've got to be kidding me, Bella! Nothing like this is going to happen again! Happen again.' He muttered the last part to himself as though I wasn't even there.

'Edward,' I scoffed, incredulous. 'I've just woken up, and already we're fighting!' he sobered at that, throwing himself back onto the pillow and staring at the ceiling, his muscular arms behind his head. 'I want a promise from you.' I said gently, propping myself up as best I could.

'You know I'd give you anything.' He sighed with a smile on his lips.

'The next time something like this happens...I want you to turn me into a vampire.'

He stiffened and faced me, something like revulsion in his eyes. 'You would want to become like me? a monster that does nothing but kill? Bella, I can assure that you don't want to be like that. I'd rather...'

'See me dead?' I said coldly. He flinched. 'Because that's what's going to happen otherwise. Besides, all I do is kill anyway, so it's not like things will be changing.' I was ashamed as I said this. The killing had to stop...but could it? 'And if I don't get hurt in a mission, I want you to change me before I turn 18.'

'You don't want this, baby.' He whispered, taking my face in his palm. But it was too late – I had already made my mind up. 'This is my choice, Edward. I want to be with you forever.' I kissed him softly, revelling in the feel of _him _my soulmate. The warmth he had, no matter what he said about being cold. He was mine, and he was here, with me, where he belonged. 'Trust me.' he whispered against my lips. 'You'd rather die a human than live forever as a vampire.'

'Are you saying you don't want me?' he paused, pulling back to look me in the face. 'I'd understand if you didn't.' But my heart was ripping in two. We might fight a lot, but if Edward didn't love me...that would be more pain than any werewolf could ever dish out. I wouldn't survive this one.

'I want you, but I want _you _not a vampire version....but if that's what you want, then...' my heart skipped a beat.

'Then...?'

'Then I will make you a vampire. But _only _when you've spoken to Carlisle about it, and you've made sure that you want to give up your humanity to be with me. It's a lot to ask, Bella.'

'I haven't had my humanity for a long time, but yes, I will speak to Carlisle and I will think about it thoroughly before I get you to change me.'

'What am I going to do with you?' he half-laughed, half-groaned. I could feel my eye-lids drooping as the exhaustion caught up with me again. 'Tired?'

'Mmm.' There was only one more thing to say. 'Edward?'

'Yes, sweetheart?'

'I love you.'

'I love you too, more than you can ever know.'

I had my soulmate, I was alive, and everything was sorted out with my family. There was nothing to do know but take a well-deserved rest, and really rest for the first time in a long time. Edward would stay with me, and he'd be there when I woke up. What more could I ask for?

**Well, good or not? I'll admit, I didn't work as hard as I could have done one this one, simply because some of you actually thought I'd end this story with Bella's death! What? Are you crazy??**

**One chapter till the end! *cries***

**Review please O________O**

**Charlie**


	28. Epilogue: Special Occasions

**Oh my goodness, here we are, the final chapter of My Vampire Romance. This one really sums things up, and gets things ready for my sequel 'My Vampire apocalypse."**

**So please read this thoroughly, and make sure you read the authors note at the end, because it's important!!!**

**So thank you so much for sticking with this story (even when the grammar was shoddy and the plotline sucked!) and I hope you like this chapter!**

**Charlie**

* * *

Who would've thought that I, Bella Swan, would have a fairly normal, teenage life for once? Who would've thought that I'd just be messing around and being a kid for once? Sure, I had a hell of a lot of things to work through, and there was a lot in my life that I hadn't sorted out, but for once, who cares? My life was back on track, in fact, it was better than it had been since before I had become a spy, back when I was living at home with my mom, just messing around. Things were good for once, and that's all I could ask for.

'Bella, shoot!' Paul shouted. And for once, that sentence didn't mean I was about to kill someone. It meant I was about to win. For once.

There was a loud beeping as I kicked the soccer ball, slamming it into the back of the net past the goalies outstretched hands. There was that moment where you can't believe something had happened; that you don't even _know_ what had happened. 'We won!' I shouted when everyone was silent.

And, literally, the crowd went crazy!

I was grabbed and put on Jacob and Jared's shoulders, with Paul, Sam, Jared and Embry shouting my name and clapping me on the back. I knew Emmett, Edward, Caleb and Charlie were all stood on the bleachers – well, they _were_ perhaps the loudest spectators anyone could ask for. We'd played 5 games in this tournament, and every time we'd won, I'd get deafened by my boys! But I didn't care, because we won!

"Here we are guys! Congratulations!" Coach Phillips came over with the trophy, giving it to...me. Well, that was a surprise. I didn't think about it – I didn't allow myself to – I just held the trophy up as high as I could whilst the boys all cheered below me and all the spectators from my school yelled our names and chanted the name of our school.

It was a perfect moment while it lasted.

"Bella! Well done, but we gotta go!" Emmett ran and lifted me from Jake and Jared's shoulders whilst I handed the trophy to Sam. Though I noticed Em gave Jake a high five and a slap on the back afterwards. Maybe things between the werewolves and the vampires wouldn't be so bad anymore...

"Congratulations, baby!" Edward said, suddenly at my side and spinning me round in a circle with a sweet kiss. "Are you ready to go?"

"She doesn't have time to be ready, we have to leave!" Emmett said exasperated, sprinting as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself to the car. After a few moments of shaking my head at him, I yelled an exasperated goodbye to the boys and sprinted as fast as I could after him, with Edward, Caleb and Charlie close to my side.

"Emmett, relax, we have two hours yet!" I scoffed when we were in the car and speeding towards the Cullen mansion.

He gave me a sceptical look in the mirror. "Alice is in charge – two hours early is two hours late to her. You should know that by now, Bells." He growled, his grip on the steering wheel getting tighter. "Besides, the little pixie scares me to death." He muttered under his breath. I just rolled my eyes at Edward, stifling a giggle – though I would _never _admit that Alice scared the crap out of me, too.

We pulled into the Cullen drive, whizzing past the trees so fast that they were just a blur of green. The brakes screeched as he pulled up to the front of the house and we all jumped out of the car, aiming to get into the house as fast as we could without being spotted by-. "Shit." Emmett muttered, looking up at Alice on the front porch, who was tapping her foot impatiently as she watched us all scramble out of the car like kids caught doing something wrong. We must've looked a right sight, especially me, dirty and sweaty from the multiple soccer games I had played in the rain that had now eased up.

"I let you go on the condition you were back here in plenty of time!" she shrieked, marching down the porch and grabbing my arm. "You boys – get cleaned up and get your suits on, or there will be trouble! And Bella...eww, just eww!" she moaned, taking in my filthy appearance.

"Relax, Alice." Caleb rolled his eyes whilst the rest of us held our breath. Caleb was going to die, I was certain of it.

"Relax? Relax! Emmett and Rosalie are getting married in two hours, and no-one is ready!!"

*

Two hours of scrubbing, spraying and general cleaning up later, I stood in front of the huge mirror in Rosalie's bathroom, helping Alice to fix the brides hair whilst trying to avoid ruining my own bridesmaid dress. Alice and Rose had been planning this in secret with Esme for months, and now the big day was here – the day I would officially get a new sister.

Alice and I were bridesmaids, and unfortunately dressed the same. We were both in scarlet dresses, floor length and made of silk so soft that it felt like water. It was plain, expect for the sides of the dress, which had black roses intertwining all the way up to my neck. I had red heels to match. The only problem with the dress (in Alice's opinion, anyway) was the fact that it showed my recently acquired scars, and the various tattoos I had. I knew this was going to get me funny looks, but for the moment, who cares?

"Do you think my hair looks alright like this?" Rose fretted for what must've been the third time in the space of five minutes. "I mean, it looks alright down, and I shouldn't have done anything fancy with it?"

"Relax, Rose." I soothed. "You look beautiful, and my brother won't be able to keep his eyes off you! I'm pretty sure he'll be staring at something other than your hair..." it was true, Rosalie looked gorgeous. We had left her hair until last, and her dress was already on; it was white until the bottom, where it started to tinge pink, because, as she had put it 'she wasn't exactly pure'. The bodice was covered in diamonds, and it had small princess sleeves just under the shoulders. Her lovely blonde hair was straight, hanging down her back like a river. Her make-up was natural – she didn't need it, she was gorgeous enough as it was.

We all turned to the door as Carlisle knocked. As the door swung open, I heard the sound of Pachelbel's Canon tinkling on the piano, though I didn't know who was playing. Since the episode with Aiden, I had really noticed how good my senses actually were, though I didn't want to talk about it. I had avoided being alone with Carlisle for the simple fact that I really didn't want to know what was supernatural about me – at least not whilst I was still human.

"Are you ready, ladies?" he asked us politely, a smile lighting up his face.

"Yes, I think so." Rose gulped. She turned to me and Alice, grasping each of our hands in hers. "Thank you so much for being my bridesmaids and getting me ready – you really are my sisters."

"You're welcome, Rose. But let's go, Emmett's waiting for you. Bella!" she shrieked as I leant forward and gave Rose a sisterly hug. "If you had messed anything up I would've murdered you." She sighed, seeing that my dress was still perfect.

"Whatever, pixie, let's go." I muttered, following Rose and Carlisle out of the bedroom and onto the landing. I leant over the banister; almost upside down as I watched to see how many people were actually there. There were some people from school, including the werewolves, which I was surprised about. Charlie was sat at the front with Esme; some relatives from Alaska were sat behind them, with Caleb sat beside a black-haired woman; there were plenty of people I didn't know; and there was Jasper, sat at the piano, playing Canon and waiting for Alice, I presumed. And there at the front was my brother, looking slightly flustered, with Edward stood tall by his side – the best man in every sense.

In other words, I was going to have to walk down the aisle in a revealing dress in front of _too _many people.

"Bella," Carlisle chuckled. "It's about to be your turn, sweetheart."

I slid off the banister – no joke, a wooden banister and silk? I'm surprised I didn't go over the side – and stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the stairs and wishing that I wasn't a bridesmaid after all. Seriously, heels and this long dress? It wasn't like me at all!

"Off you go, Bella, Alice." Rose whispered to us. "Good luck."

"Same to you, Rose. Have an amazing day." We began our descent as the wedding march started, and the sound of chairs moving as all the guests stood up. I made it down the stairs, and turned towards the aisle to make my way to the front. I locked eyes with Edward instantly, skipping everyone else in the room. I _did _have the satisfaction of seeing his jaw drop before I turned away, concentrating on making it to the front.

Alice's arm was looped through mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze as people did exactly what I thought they would do. Every person on my side of the room turned to someone next to them and whispered not so subtly. I saw the points and stares my body was getting, and it was starting to get to me. But nevertheless I kept my head high, pretending that nobody else existed but me and Edward, who was glaring at anyone he saw looking at me funny.

But then it was over, and I was stood at the altar with Edward, taking his arm and standing by his side. I leant over and gripped Emmett's shoulder for a moment, feeling him relax slightly.

And then Rose walked into the room.

I didn't think I had ever seen my brother look as happy as the moment when Rosalie stepped off the last step and the wedding march hit a new tempo. She seemed to radiate light into everyone that watched her as she got ever closer to the aisle, never taking her eyes off Emmett for a moment. Whatever I had said in the past about them getting married too soon was instantly marred at that moment – they were so deeply in love that it actually hurt to look at them.

But there was one man in the room who wasn't watching the happy couple as they stood in front of Mr. Weber, who was conducting the ceremony.

I turned to see Edward smiling down at me. His hands folded around my waist, and he pulled me away from my brother slightly so that we weren't as much in the limelight as we had been. His chin rested on my right shoulder, so that he could whisper to me without anyone seeing or hearing – not even the vampires.

"You look stunning, Bella, don't let anyone make you think otherwise. Anyone who was staring at your scars instead of your face was a fool, because they were missing something beautiful." As if to emphasise his words, he kissed the new burn on my shoulder, from where the fire had pierced my exposed skin.

"I'm glad you think so. It honestly doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, as long as you're okay with how I look." I whispered self-consciously.

"Are you crazy?" he murmured against my cheek. "Me being alright with how you look? You are, and always will be the most beautiful thing in my world. Don't let anything make you lose faith in that. You're my soulmate, Bella, and I will love you forever, even if you stop loving me."

Thunderous applause cut our conversation short, and we hurried to join in as though we were paying attention. It was now official – Rose was now Mrs. Rosalie Swan; my sister in law.

"Congratulations, Em, Rose." I said, hugging my brother and sister in law when they broke apart from the killer kiss.

"Thanks, Bells!" Em hugged me tightly then pulled away, turning to his new wife and smiling down at her with nothing but pure love. They would be so happy together; after all, they did have eternity to make each other happy.

But I felt oddly out of place again as I stood there on my own (Edward having gone over to congratulate my brother after I had, and getting into a conversation with his cousins from Alaska), like it had done so many times after I came to Forks. I backed away from the main group, standing at the side of the room and just observing.

Caleb was stood with...Kate, was her name? Talking and laughing with her like I remembered we used to do so long ago – I knew he had a bright future in front of him, maybe with Kate? All I knew was that he was going to be happy in whatever he did, and that his suffering was finally over now that I was out of the main part of his life – I didn't need Alice to tell me that.

Charlie was stood with Edward, laughing at something he had said, and occasionally smiling towards where his son was stood. He'd have it rough, especially when he got older and his family didn't, but he'd pull through. Emmett was happy, so Charlie would be, and when Charlie died, it wouldn't be sad, it would be full of memories. Charlie had a good life ahead of him.

Esme and Carlisle were perhaps the luckiest parents on the planet. They were stood with the cousins from Alaska, Esme had her arm around a blonde one, talking. Carlisle...he was serene as usual. He'd keep the family safe, and keep order for years to come.

My brothers and sisters had each other, as well as their life partners. Emmett and Rose were stood with a gaggle of people. Rose was in her element, I thought with a laugh, and Emmett just looked happy to be with her. Alice was talking as usual, and Jasper just looked down at her with love practically radiating from his eyes. They would never leave each other – it was just the beginning of an entire lifetime that they had to be with each other.

I snapped out of it, blinking and coming to. I didn't know why I was talking as though I was leaving again; I had too many reasons to stay. But maybe, like my mother, there was always that thought in the back of my head that said 'stop, and back off before someone gets hurt'. But in this case, I was the only one who had been hurt. There was no reason to leave now, was there? Could I stay with the Cullen's forever, or was I destined to be alone for the rest of my short life?

No, was my only thought as Edward turned from Charlie, scanning the room from me. The thought was clear as his eyes met mine, full of anxious love, and relief now that he had spotted me. He started to walk over to me, but I shook my head, starting to head towards the back door. I needed time away from the happiness and face reality – I needed to think. I hadn't given my future much thought since the 'accident' as everyone was so fond of calling it. The only reason I didn't think about it was because it made me immensely angry with everyone every time I did.

So I backed away, walking briskly from the wedding and out into the back garden, heading straight for the woods to a place that I had found really recently. It was only a few moments from the Cullen house, but it was secluded by trees, so no-one would be able to see me out here.

I broke through the trees into my special place, exhaling deeply as its beauty astounded me yet again.

I was stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a valley with a river snaking through it. There were two mountains shoulder to shoulder opposite, and from in-between them I could watch the red sun set lower in the sky, allowing the vampires to step out of the house and enjoy the party in the back garden. A slight breeze blew over me, swirling my hair around my face. I closed my eyes and inhaled, letting the pure peace and calm of the place sooth me, and letting me drift away into the dark sanctuary of my own mind.

I had made the decision to stay, that much was for sure. I knew that to leave now might well kill me, as well as Edward. The others could live without me, but he couldn't, I knew he couldn't.

That was made up.

Becoming a vampire? It was something I needed to do in order to break the cycle that had gone on for too long. The women in my family had been cursed with having to do spy work for their entire lives, and from what I had found about it during my recovery period, it always ended up in some form of mysterious death. In order to save any other females that would descend from me if I stayed human, I would have to become a vampire. I couldn't let another Swan face the heart-breaking choices and awful memories that I and my ancestors had had to carry.

That was made up.

The only problem I had now was whether or not I could fit into both the Cullen family and normal society without feeling I didn't belong there. For the Cullen family, I just couldn't take the love and understanding they had without feeling that there must be some catch – it had come with all I had seen, all the death and destruction that I had either caused or aided in. As for fitting into society, it was almost the same, I had just seen too much. Plus, judging by the looks my scars and burns were getting at the wedding, society didn't much want me anyway...

"Bella?" I pulled away from my thoughts and whirled to the sound of Edward's voice, my body automatically going into defensive mode. "It's okay, it's only me." he said, holding his hands up with his palms towards me in as though in surrender.

"Sorry – habit."

"Don't worry about it." he sighed, walking through the last bit of the trees towards me, taking me into his arms when he reached me. "What's with exiling yourself? Are you feeling alright?"

Ever since the 'accident' he had been asking me if I was alright on a regular basis. But I didn't complain, not anymore, anyway. As he had rightly said, he loved me, and there was nothing I could do about that. "I'm fine, I just needed to get away from people for a while." I sighed, turning back to the sunset.

"I'm sorry for what they did." He snarled through gritted teeth. "I wanted to beat the shit out of them for staring at you like that."

"They can go to hell, because I don't really care anymore, to be honest." I turned back to him, to find that he was staring at me in wonder again. "Something interesting?" I teased. He gulped, suddenly looking very nervous. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He pulled away, running a hand through his hair and laughing shakily. "It's just that I was planning something, and I really don't know how to do it, now."

"Edward Cullen, not knowing how to do something? Perish the thought!" I laughed. But the smile was soon wiped off my face as he sunk to one knee, pulling a box out of his jacket pocket. "You dropped something, right?"

"No. Isabella Swan," my heart was beating so fast that I thought it might burst out of my chest. But I wasn't scared...okay I _was_ scared, but it was a good scared. "I love you more than anyone and anything, and I will love you until after the end of time. Your wish is my command, and I promise to take care of you whether you need it not. Babe, I know it's soon, and that we haven't really been together as long as other people, but I mean this with all my heart: will you marry me?"

I had to breathe a few times before I could say anything coherently, or without vomiting. I knew there was only one answer I could give him, only one answer that would make everything be alright again. Only one answer that would keep us both safe forever....

"Yes, Edward, I will marry you." I laughed, letting him slip the fricking rock on my finger and spin me around in a circle, laughing and kissing him as much as I possibly could. "I love you." I whispered as he set me down with his arms locked tightly around me waist, not moving my head from his shoulder.

"I love you too, and I always will."

And he would.

As the sun finally set, I realized that I really did have a lot to live for. And even if my troubles were still waiting to pounce on me the second I burst out of my happy bubble, I could face them, as long as I had Edward by my side.

* * *

***Blinks a few times* oh my goodness, that's it, My Vampire Romance is finished! I can't believe it! I honestly that now, after 8 months I have actually finished this story!**

**I really, really want to thank those of you who have stuck with this from the beginning – mainly OLYMPICCOVEN, who I can remember gives good constructive criticism – you guys rock, honestly, and I hope you'll stick around for my next story, which I'll hopefully (fingers crossed) will be starting tomorrow!**

**So what did you guys think of this story, and this last chapter? Please, please, please review me, because it will have made the efforts of these past 8 months really worthwhile!**

**Thanks for reading, and I'll see you when the sequel to this story: 'My Vampire Apocalypse' is released! (Btw, please don't try and guess the plot from the title, I have **_**literally **_**just made it up!)**

**See you real soon!**

**Charlie**


	29. My Vampire Apocalypse!

**Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that MY VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE IS NOW PUBLISHED AND ON MY PROFILE! Sorry about putting it in bold, but people just don't read these things!**

**So if y'all want to go to my profile, the first chapter is already up! I just went crazy and wrote you guys the first chapter ;)**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you like My Vampire Apocalypse as much as you liked My Vampire Romance!**

**Charlie**


	30. Copy

This is a VERY important message to everyone who reads my stories!

My Vampire Romance has been posted on someone's website without my permission!

www (dot) wattpad (dot) com/user/pigpog

Can you please post a comment on her profile, or send a message, helping me get this story deleted? People have commented it as though she wrote it, and I'm not happy at all! Please help to get my story removed from that site !

Thankyou so much for your help! Plagiarism really is a bitch!

Charlie


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